The Orphan Trio
by DemonFiccer
Summary: A pair of orphans moving to Konoha find Naruto being chased by a mob and help him out. What will happen when the three orphans become friends and allies? Strong, but not Godlike Naruto. Dark User OC and Magnet User OC along for the ride. No pairings decided yet. Humor/Friendship/Action/Adventure. Rated M for cursing, violence, and general Naruto craziness.
1. Chapter 1 Meeting the Third

**Demon: Welcome to a new story written by yours truly.**

**Creeper: You're going to die, you know that? You've been away from writing for over a fucking year!**

**Lexboss: Leave him alone, Creeper! (smacks Creeper over the head) He's had a rough year.**

**Creeper: Really? Like what? How bad of a year could he have had to stay away from writing for an entire year?**

**Demon: Let's see, I had finals during the spring after my last post, my dad passed away from cancer, one of my relatives basically went bat-shit crazy, and I didn't even want to touch my computer for a long time because I was on it playing a game when my dad died.**

**Creeper: … Oh.**

**GoodWriter: Well, Creeper, it looks like you just fucked up.**

**Lexboss: You actually cursed?**

**GoodWriter: Well, I'm loosening my filter a little bit, but not much.**

**Demon: Alright, let's get to the main thing here. This is a new story I thought of, and it includes two OCs. So, let's get to it before my writing inspiration goes AWOL again.**

"Talking" – _Thinking_ – **Demon/Summoning Speaking/Jutsu **– _**Demon/Summon Thinking**_

The Orphan Trio, Chapter 1: Meeting the Third

The sun was rising in the sky, bringing in the morning light over the trees and mountain surrounding Konoha, the village hidden in the leaves. The light reflected off the four faces carved on the Hokage Monument, seemingly making the faces shimmer in the sunlight. For many in the village, the beauty of the sight was taken for granted, with very few stopping to stare in awe at the sight. However, there were four individuals looking at the mountain and admiring the view; two enjoying the sight every day while the other two gazed for the first time.

The first person taking in the sight was an old man in the tall red tower stationed in front of the monument. The man was currently wearing white robes with red patterns stitched within, a hat with the kanji for Fire on the front sitting on his head. As he stared at the monument, the old man took a toke from his pipe, breathing out a kanji for fire in smoke. This man was Hiruzen Sarutobi, the current leader of Konoha. Hiruzen, or Lord Hokage as most refer to him, smiled a little as he felt a bit of relaxation from his morning ritual. As he turned away to start on the paperwork on his desk, the old man had a thought on his mind. _'I wonder if Naruto is enjoying the sunrise,'_ he thought as he began stamping the papers.

**(page break)**

Naruto Uzumaki, the boy Hiruzen was thinking about, was indeed enjoying the view of the sunrise. Naruto, an eight year old boy with blonde hair and ocean-blue eyes, smiled happily as he enjoyed looking at the monument. Naruto was currently sitting in a tall tree, hiding away from the villagers below. Naruto didn't know why, but most of the villagers hated him with a passion.

The reason for the villagers' hatred was due to an incident that took place a little over eight years ago. Konoha was attacked by a demon with incredible power. The Kyuubi, or Nine-Tailed Fox, had appeared out of nowhere and violently struck the village on October 10th. Many lives were lost and many buildings destroyed. The mighty beast was eventually defeated by the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze. The Fourth managed to kill the beast at the cost of his life.

However, this story was not completely true. The reality was that Minato Namikaze managed to defeat the Kyuubi by sealing it away into a newborn infant, killing Minato in the process. This infant was Naruto Uzumaki, the Fourth's own newborn son. However, after Hiruzen took the role of Hokage again, he felt that Naruto would not have a good life had this been told to the villagers. So, he passed a law making it an offense punishable by death to speak to people about the truth of the Kyuubi, hoping Naruto could have a normal life.

Unfortunately, the villagers who knew about the fox being sealed in the infant ignored the wishes of the Fourth, who wanted the infant seen as a hero, and disregarded the Third's law. While the original villagers that broke the law were executed for telling the entire village's older population, Sarutobi knew that he could not execute everyone. As a result, the villagers constantly talked about Naruto, often in a hateful way.

The third, in a state of desperation, added a clause to the law immediately. Anyone who told their children of the situation with Naruto was not only to be executed, but the child as well. It was met with a large amount of outrage, but Sarutobi refused to remove it, feeling it was the only way the younger generation wouldn't develop the hateful grudge the older population possessed.

Despite this, the villagers still found a way to torment Naruto. First, they told their children to never associate with him, claiming he was a horrible person and a monster. Due to this, Naruto found himself very lonely throughout most of his life. Second, most shop owners refused to serve Naruto at all, or if they did, they overcharged him and sold him only the absolute worst quality goods. Third, the Orphanage Naruto lived in kicked him out at the age of five, leaving him to fend for himself for three years. Due to the meddling of the civilian side of Konoha's council, no clan was allowed to adopt the boy, despite the fact that a fair number of clans wanted to.

The final thing the villagers did to make Naruto's life a living hell was a violent treatment of the boy. Nearly every day, a mob of villagers would chase Naruto and would beat him mercilessly. A few times, Naruto was nearly killed from these attacks. Worse, sometimes there would be some Genin or Chunin ninja in the mob who lost someone from the Kyuubi attack. Desperately, Sarutobi placed an Anbu guard to protect Naruto, but many of the Anbu hated Naruto as well and would ignore his pleas for help.

Currently, this is why Naruto was sitting atop a tall tree. While he was able to find solace in the rising sun, he knew that soon a mob would start looking for him, something the villagers "affectionately" called the "fox hunt". Unfortunately for Naruto, the villagers seemed to get active early today. A couple rocks were tossed toward him, barely missing. Sadly, it was enough to cause him to fall off the tree and hit the ground below. Seeing the mob near him, Naruto quickly started to run, the mob quickly following.

**(page break)**

The last two watching the sunrise and admiring the beauty of the mountain were actually found at the gates of Konoha. The two were both children, each with a small bag holding all of their belongings. The two waited patiently for the gate guards to check them into the village while they looked at the mountain.

One of them, a young eight year old boy with brown eyes and a bit of brown hair underneath a spiked-top hood, whistled slightly as he took in the view. He was dressed in a pair of black pants with a slightly burned headband used as a belt. The symbol on the headband was that of two boulders, signaling he hailed from Iwa, the village hidden in the rock. He also wore a sleeveless black shirt with a clay-brown tunic over it. The tunic had the hood attached, and on the front of the tunic was the boy's clan symbol, an upside-down rounded horseshoe magnet with the positive pole being red and negative being blue.

"Look at that, Kurohi. Isn't that beautiful?" The young boy asked his companion. The second boy, eight years old, was dressed in a pair of black pants with a black and white horizontally striped shirt. He wore a bandanna on his head, completely covering his hair. The bandanna had his clan's symbol, a wide-open eye with a dark, crescent-like pupil in the center, on the front. He also wore a damaged headband, which had the symbol for Kiri, the hidden mist village, as a belt.

"It sure is, Toshi. There wasn't anything like this back in Kiri." The second replied, smiling slightly at the sight before him. Before the first boy, Toshi, could respond, the gate guards got their attention. The guards stamped their entry papers and told them directions to the Hokage Tower, where they needed to go to speak to the leader. The two boys thanked the guards and walked into the village.

**(page break)**

After walking about ten minutes through the village, Toshi looked over to his traveling companion, who was staring straight ahead, but with his eyes slightly glancing left or right every few seconds.

"Jeez, Kurohi, why are you so paranoid? I heard the Leaf is welcoming of those with a kekkei-genkai. We don't have to worry about anyone trying to kill us." Kurohi looked over to his friend and sighed.

"I'm aware of what we heard about Konoha. It's just that after what happened back in Kiri, I'm going to be a bit paranoid, especially in a new village. I know they are supportive of those with a kekkei-genkai, but there were supporters in the Mist, too." The boy replied quietly, glancing around again. Toshi sighed, he figured his friend would be nervous, but he heard from the monks at that temple in the Land of Fire that Konoha loved kekkei-genkais and those who had them. _'Still, considering what he went through, I'm not too surprised he is worried. Hell, after what I went through, I'm amazed I trusted Kurohi enough to travel with him.'_ He thought as they continued walking.

However, they started hearing something strange. Looking to their right, they saw a small boy around their age running quickly, a mob of people angrily following behind him. As the people got closer, the two heard some of what was being said.

"What did I do? I didn't do anything to you people!" The young boy shouted as he ran. The mob started yelling and cursing him as they chased him.

"You know what you did you monster!"

"You're going to die, you damn demon!"

"You're going to get it for killing our loved ones!"

"Them kicking you out of the orphanage let us finish what the Fourth started, you damn demon!"

The boy kept running, tears in his eyes. "I'm just an orphan! I didn't kill anyone!" The boy's cries were ignored by the angry villagers, but two individuals heard him. _'Orphan?!'_ Toshi and Kurohi thought as the small boy approached them.

Looking at each other and nodding, Toshi began doing hand signs as the child ran past him. Stopping on the ram seal, Toshi slammed his hands on the ground. "**Earth Style: Labyrinth Wall Jutsu!**" Toshi shouted as the ground started to rumble. Suddenly, a number of large stone walls began shooting out of the ground, surrounding the mob and trapping them inside a giant labyrinth. Hearing the angry yells from the villagers, Toshi nodded over to Kurohi and stepped back. Kurohi, who had grabbed Naruto to stop him from running, let Toshi grab the boy as he walked to the wall. Doing a couple of hand signs, Kurohi placed his hand onto the wall and called out, "**Dark Style: Labyrinth's Shadow!**"

Inside the labyrinth, the mob was running about, trying to find a way out of the giant labyrinth. As they reached the center of the labyrinth, signaling a dead end, a strange shadow sprung from the walls. To the shock and horror of the villagers, the shadow morphed into a strange man wearing a creepy outfit and a giant bulge in the crotch of his pants. The man looked at the mob and started towards the villagers, wiggling his crotch towards the villagers. Loud screams were heard around the village as mob tried desperately to escape the labyrinth and the terrifying man.

**(page break)**

Seeing the two boys stop the mob from attacking him, Naruto let out a sigh of relief. He knew these two might be dangerous, but he was willing to at least thank them for helping him out. He turned to the boys, whom he noticed were smirking a bit at the fearful screams of the mob.

"Th…thanks for helping me out," Naruto nervously said, taking a step back. "Those guys would have done some really painful things to me if you didn't help me." Toshi looked to the boy, noticing the fear in his eyes. Kurohi, who also noticed the look in Naruto's eyes, was letting out a small amount of killer intent in anger. However, noticing Naruto's fear grow, he stopped himself and extended his hand out.

"No problem, man. We always try to help out one of our own." The boy replied as he offered his hand. Naruto, slightly less scared, took the boy's hand and shook it. Toshi smiled at this and took Naruto's other hand, shaking it as well.

"Thanks again. But, what do you mean 'one of our own'?" Naruto asked, confused. This time, Toshi answered.

"We mean an orphan. You see, Kurohi and I are both orphans. Even though we come from different villages, we have that in common and it bonds us. We both had something horrible happen to us in our lives, and it created a bond. Since you are an orphan too, we consider you one of us." Naruto was happy that he found two people that treated him kindly. Sure, the Third Hokage treated him nicely, and there was the two from Ichiraku Ramen, but he hadn't had anyone from his age group that was nice to him.

"Thanks, I really appreciate that. My name's Naruto Uzumaki. What are your names?" Naruto asked happily. Toshi smiled a little, surprised how quickly the boy changed emotions. "My name is Toshi Jiryo, and this is my friend Kurohi Yami." Kurohi nodded before a look of realization came over his face.

"Oh, damn. Toshi, we still need to get to the Hokage Tower." Kurohi said, causing Toshi to nod in agreement. Naruto started walking away. "Follow me, I've walked to the Tower so many times to talk to the old man, I can practically get there blindfolded." He explained. Liking this kid, Toshi and Kurohi followed him, intent on getting things handled as well as finding out some more about their new friend.

**Demon: There we go, chapter 1. Hopefully, I can actually keep working on this thing.**

**Creeper: Yeah, otherwise you're gonna be meeting with one of my guns.**

**Lexboss: You can't stop threatening him, can you?**

**GoodWriter: Once a prick, always a prick, I guess.**

**Demon: Yes, now as you can tell, the title refers to meeting the third orphan, not the Third Hokage. **

**GoodWriter: I'm not sure if that's necessary to point out.**

**Demon: Just a precaution. Anyway, I think I should point some things out real quick. First of all, I do not have any colored pictures of my OCs, but I described their outfits fairly well. If not well enough, just look up "Team Magma grunt" for Toshi and "Team Aqua Grunt" for Kurohi. For Toshi, just replace the magma emblem on the tunic with the upside-down magnet and remove the horns from the hood.**

**Lexboss: Seems simple enough.**

**Demon: For Kurohi, imagine the pants are all black instead of blue and get rid of the aqua symbols. As for his bandanna, replace the Aqua symbol with the Psychic symbol from the Pokemon trading card game, but the pupil of the eye is the dark symbol from the card game. **

**GoodWriter: Simple, but effective.**

**Demon: I know, not very original. However, I focused more on their abilities than their outfits. Besides, I like the Magma and Aqua uniforms. Now, I'll put the personality description and skill levels of the OCs in my profile soon, and I'll work on the next chapter soon as well. **

**Creeper: Sounds like you actually are going to continue this.**

**Demon: Yes, I am. Now, one more thing. I have no pairing ideas yet, as this is going to be a humor and action/adventure story. Romance is going to be on the backburner, if at all. I am not great at romance scenes, and that usually keeps me from working on chapters. So, I'm going to avoid it for now. Also, there will be Council bashing, and Sasuke/Sakura bashing, but I will try not to be excessive. There will be a good amount of it, but I will try to keep it respectable. However, if I can find a way to make them into the butt of a joke or two, I'm gonna do it.**

**Lexboss: Alright, I think that's everything.**

**Demon: I think so. I'll list the new jutsus used below each Author Note, and while a few are canon, some are altered from canon a bit and a good number of these are original. Well, in the sense of non-canon; I did take some inspiration from YuGiOh and a few other things. As for the shadow in the labyrinth, it was basically David Bowie from "Labyrinth". I found it creepy yet funny, so I thought it would be nice to fit it here. Plus, one of my OCs' jutsus creates a labyrinth, how could I not put that in there?**

**Lexboss: Ok, then. Read and Review! Wow, it's been a long time since we've said that!**

**Demon: True enough. No flames!**

New Jutsus Used

Earth: Labyrinth Wall: The user creates a small to medium sized labyrinth around the target(s), placing them somewhere between the center of the labyrinth and the only entrance/exit. The main purpose is to confuse or distract the target(s). The walls cannot be broken by anyone inside the labyrinth. The only way for the walls to disappear is for them to be destroyed outside or for the target(s) to successfully navigate out of the labyrinth. (Rank C)

Dark: Labyrinth's Shadow: The user creates an illusion in the form of a terrifying creature (usually David Bowie from "Labyrinth" if civilians or low level ninja, more realistic fears for higher level opponents) using some of the user's chakra. The illusion haunts and torments those inside the Labyrinth Wall. Once a physical clone jutsu is learned, the user can use a physical clone transformed into the creature instead of an illusion. (Rank D (B when physical clone used))


	2. Chapter 2 Setting Things Straight

**Demon: Alright, chapter 2! I think I'm getting back into the flow.**

**GoodWriter: I hope so, lest you get another threat.**

**Demon: True, speaking of which, where is Creeper?**

**Lexboss: He said something about one of his favorite authors abandoning a story he liked and took off.**

**Demon: I feel sorry for that poor bastard. **

**GoodWriter: Indeed.**

**Demon: Now, then. Since I had a scathing PM about how I didn't put a disclaimer on the first chapter, I added it to shut him up.**

**Lexboss: Can't they read your profile for that? You said before you hated putting it on stories.**

**Demon: Apparently jackasses can't take the time out to read the profile for a disclaimer. Oh well, let's get to the story.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto in any way.**

"Talking" – _Thinking_ – **Demon/Summoning Speaking/Jutsu **– _**Demon/Summon Thinking**_

The Orphan Trio, Chapter 2: Setting Things Straight

The three children walked towards the Hokage Tower, one smiling at making new friends and the two others fuming silently at the way the first was treated. Toshi, trying to calm himself a bit, pulled a small book out of his backpack and started reading. Naruto happened to notice the book and smiled.

"Oh, so you read that pervert book, too?" The blonde asked, much to the surprise of the two boys. Toshi looked over his book, sweat-dropping. "What do you mean 'pervert book'?" He asked, confused. Naruto started walking backwards, looking at Toshi.

"Well, an Anbu named Dog reads a small book that some women call a 'pervert book'. I think it was called Ic…Ich…" Kurohi cut Naruto off, "Icha Icha?" Naruto nodded, "That's it, thanks!" Toshi chuckled as he showed the cover of the book.

"Sorry, Naruto. I don't read that stuff. This is a small history book on Iwa. I'm reading up on some of the things I was learning about before I left." Toshi replied, looking back into his book. '_Let's see… here I was. "The village's main weapons in wartime were its jinchuuriki, who contained the tailed beasts in Iwa's possession. While many hated the jinchuuriki and treated them badly, the village leaders considered the jinchuuriki as weapons and would train them excessively." Man, that would suck to be a jinchuuriki,_' Toshi thought as they approached the tower.

While Toshi read his book, Kurohi and Naruto were talking to each other. "So, why were those idiots chasing you?" Kurohi asked Naruto. The blonde frowned sadly and shrugged. "I don't know. They just chase me every day and call me 'monster' or 'demon'. They say that I killed a lot of people, but I never did anything to anyone. The worst I ever did was that time I put a paint bomb in the old man's office, but he thought it was hilarious and thanked me for giving him a break from his paperwork." Naruto replied, seeing they reached the tower. "Let's head inside, the old man's probably working on some papers."

As they walked in, Toshi heard Naruto's reply and started to think. _'Wait, Naruto's been chased nearly daily; clearly they hate him for some reason. They call him "monster" or "demon". They think he killed a lot of people…'_ Toshi's eyes widened suddenly and he stopped. _'Could he be a…a…'_

"Toshi!" Toshi snapped out of his thoughts and saw Kurohi and Naruto waiting for him at the stairs. "Come on, man. We need to see the Hokage!" Kurohi called impatiently as they started walking. Toshi quickly followed; his eyes hardening. _'I need to ask the Hokage about this.'_

(**page break**)

Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed as he finished his paperwork, for the time being anyway. He knew that his assistant would show up any minute with more stacks of the damned papers. _'If only I could find a way to deal with this shit…'_ His thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door. "Enter." He called, looking at the door. He smiled as he saw Naruto enter, but gained a confused look as two boys followed him inside.

"Hey, old man! Look at who I met today." Naruto said happily as he sat down on the couch on the side of the Hokage's desk. Sarutobi looked at the two boys with a calculating gaze. One seemed a bit frustrated but curious, the other completely livid. The livid one, Kurohi, yelled to the Hokage.

"What the fuck is wrong with your people? We hear about how Konoha would be a great place to live, and yet we walk five minutes in and see a mob chasing Naruto! Those assholes are lucky I can't create a physical clone right now otherwise they'd be in some serious pain." Kurohi exhaled sharply, feeling slightly better at venting his frustration.

Sarutobi looked over to Naruto, who was slightly nervous at his new friend's outburst. "Naruto, were you chased again?" The old man asked seriously, gripping his chair's arm. Naruto looked down and nodded. "Yeah, they threw rocks at me to knock me out of my tree and started chasing me." He responded sadly.

Toshi perked up a bit as he heard Naruto's statement, specifically two words. "Your tree? What do you mean?" Naruto flinched and looked away. "Well, after I was kicked out of the orphanage, I had nowhere to go. I tried to live in an abandoned building, but the villagers burned it down. So, I started living in the trees. The only reason they don't burn them down is because they'd be executed if they even thought of doing that." Naruto explained sadly.

Kurohi was absolutely furious. "I'm about ready to kill those idiots. I've been here only fifteen minutes and already I'm ready to get the hell out of here. Toshi, I think we should just bring Naruto with us and find somewhere else to live. This is bullshit!" The child raged. Sarutobi sighed sadly. "I'm afraid that wouldn't be possible. The council wouldn't allow Naruto to leave the village permanently, even if the civilians would enjoy it." He explained, not expecting the next sentence spoken.

"It's because he's a jinchuuriki, isn't it?" Toshi stated calmly, shocking both Sarutobi and Kurohi and getting a confused look from Naruto. The old Hokage gulped and quickly did some hand seals. Once he finished, the privacy seals in the room activated. Hiruzen quickly looked at Toshi. "How did you know about that?" He asked seriously. Kurohi looked at Toshi, who shrugged.

"Well, I read about how jinchuuriki are treated and hated by the villagers in their villages, and it almost mirrors Naruto's condition. The only difference I see is that Naruto probably hasn't been trained, otherwise he'd have fought back and probably hurt or killed the villagers." The boy explained, looking over to the blonde. Before Sarutobi could respond, Naruto spoke up. "What's a jinchuuriki?"

Toshi and Kurohi glared at the Hokage when this was asked. "Seriously, you god-damned monkey?! You don't even tell him why he's being attacked daily? This is even more fucked up than I thought!" Kurohi shouted in anger.

Toshi nodded in agreement. "I agree with Kurohi on this one. At least the other jinchuuriki are aware of their condition. My family was friends with Han, one of Iwa's jinchuuriki. Han told us that while he hated his 'condition', he felt he trusted the Tsuchikage slightly more because he was informed about it when he was old enough to understand. On the other hand, Roshi, the other jinchuuriki, left Iwa when he found out about it…in his thirties!" The Iwa native explained.

Sarutobi sighed, knowing Toshi had a point. "I understand. I had kept it a secret so Naruto could have a normal life." He admitted, shaking his head. Kurohi scoffed, "Yeah, look how that worked out." The aging Hokage couldn't argue with that one.

"Lord Hokage, will you tell him or should I?" Toshi asked, pointing his head toward Naruto. Sarutobi sighed and looked at the person he considered a grandson. "Naruto, what do you know about the Kyuubi attack?" He asked, hoping this would be easy to handle. Naruto thought for a moment before responding. "It attacked the village on my birthday, and the Fourth killed it at the cost of his life." He replied, hoping he was right. Sarutobi sighed again before continuing.

"That's not entirely true, Naruto. The Kyuubi could not be killed; it was a being of pure chakra. Instead, the Fourth managed to seal the fox away inside a newborn baby. That baby, Naruto, was you." He explained. Naruto's eyes widened and he started to shake. "You mean I'm the Kyuubi?" he asked quietly, looking down.

"No you're not!" This time, Toshi was the one to shout out, surprising even Kurohi. Toshi continued his rant. "You are not the fox! You only are the container of the fox. Naruto, you are keeping the beast locked away." Naruto didn't seem to believe Toshi's words, but the boy wouldn't let Naruto think otherwise. Grabbing something off of the Hokage's desk, Toshi called Naruto's name. As he looked up at Toshi, the boy showed the object, a gumball, and swallowed it whole.

"Now, Naruto. The gumball is inside me. Does that make me a gumball?" Toshi asked seriously. Naruto looked at him like he was crazy. "Of course not, you just swallowed it." Toshi nodded. "Good, now say you are me and the Kyuubi was the gumball. Does that mean you were the Kyuubi?"

Naruto's eyes widened again as he realized what Toshi was implying. "I'm not the fox? I'm not the fox!" He happily cried as he hopped around. Sarutobi coughed to get the boys' attention. "Naruto, as you can see, Toshi is right. You only contain the fox. In fact, the Fourth wanted to have you seen as a hero of the village. If you were to die, then the fox would be released and would destroy Konoha." The old man explained, happy to see Naruto was handling the news better than he thought.

"Okay, now that that's taken care of, we need to get the main purpose of this meeting out of the way." Toshi said, getting everyone's attention. Kurohi looked at Toshi skeptically. "Toshi, you're not seriously considering staying here after what we saw, are you?" He asked, surprised. Toshi looked at Kurohi, then at Naruto.

"I admit, I'm appalled at what I saw, but we did promise Naruto we'd watch out for him. And since he can't leave the village, we might as well join. However," The boy paused, looking at Sarutobi seriously, "if anyone tries to attack Naruto again while we're here, we will be more aggressive in stopping them. We're not going to stand by and let the villagers mercilessly beat a child." The old Hokage sighed before grabbing a couple of blank papers.

"Actually, I have an idea that might help you out. First, I know of a place you can live close to here. I'll take care of the rent for the three of you until you become ninja and can afford the place yourself. Don't worry; the landlord is an old friend of mine who actually likes Naruto. Also, I'll give the two of you a monthly stipend like Naruto to pay for food and whatever supplies you need." He said as he signed the papers and stamped them. As the boys gave their entry papers to the Hokage, he gave them the stamped papers.

"Finally, those papers give you three the authority to follow through with a law I had written for Naruto's safety. If anyone talked about Naruto's 'condition' in public, they'd be subject to execution. While this one is basically useless now, it did lead to a couple clauses. The first, which has yet to be needed, will cause anyone who tells their children of Naruto's 'condition' to not only be executed, but the child as well.

"The second clause, which I just wrote, states that if Naruto is attacked by anyone for reasons regarding the Kyuubi, then he and whoever else that has the authority to do so can fight back to defend Naruto, and any level of force is allowed." Sarutobi said, smirking. As the three accept the papers happily, the Hokage stands up to walk the children to their new apartment. As they begin to leave, Toshi has an idea.

"Lord Hokage, do you have any knowledge in seals?" The boy asks, surprising the old man. Sarutobi smirks as they leave the office. "Well, not much, but I can do a few simple seals. Why?" Toshi smiles as he continues. "Well, do you think you can place a security seal on the apartment?" Sarutobi nods in understanding. "Let me guess, a blood or chakra seal to keep the three of you the only ones able to get in?" He asks, getting a nod in confirmation. "No problem, I'll do it, but I'll need to add my blood to it so I can enter as well. Just in case it's necessary." Toshi nods, accepting the condition. The other two just wonder what the Hokage and child are talking about.

(**page break**)

After making it to the apartment, and talking to the landlord to confirm the renting, Sarutobi quickly got to work placing the security seal. Once the seal was finished, and the blood of each tenant added, the group opened the door to find the apartment. The apartment had three rooms, two bathrooms, a large kitchen and a large living area. While the apartment was barely furnished, the three kids felt this would be more than enough to begin with.

Before Sarutobi left, Toshi decided to ask the old man one more thing. "Lord Hokage, when is the ninja Academy starting?" Sarutobi smiles, realizing what he was getting at. "Well, Toshi, the Academy begins in one month. I'll arrange for you three to enter then. In the meantime, there is a training ground nearby that is specifically for Academy students and prospective students. By the way, Naruto." Sarutobi pulls out a small scroll and tosses it to the blonde.

"In that scroll is a couple jutsus I want you to work on. You guys can look too. They're the three jutsus required to pass the Academy. If you can get those three done quickly, you'll be able to get a leg up on the others." Waving behind him, the Hokage left the apartment to return to his office, knowing there was another stack of papers waiting for him.

'_Sure, giving them that scroll may be considered favoritism, but what the hell. Naruto hasn't had any training yet because of those idiots. They may call it favoritism; I call it making up for lost time.'_ Sarutobi smirked as he walked on.

**Demon: There we go, chapter 2.**

**Lexboss: That was surprising.**

**GoodWriter: I wonder how people will take the fact that Naruto learned of the Kyuubi already.**

**Demon: Well, I find it ridiculous that Sarutobi wouldn't tell Naruto in canon. While it may not be the best thing to learn, at least Naruto would understand why others hated him.**

**Lexboss: Still, some might not like the way he learned about it.**

**Demon: Better than a damn traitor letting him know. Besides, I always thought that keeping it secret would do more harm in the person's trust for their village than good.**

**(Creeper walks in bloody)**

**Creeper: What'd I miss?**

**Demon: Not much, just another chapter. What the hell happened to you?**

**Creeper: I just had to have a 'talk' with a certain someone.**

**GoodWriter: If I see something in the paper, I'm calling America's Most Wanted.**

**Demon: Alright, getting off track again. Anyway, read and review!**

**Lexboss: No flames!**


	3. Chapter 3 Business Planning

**Demon: Welcome back to the Orphan Trio.**

**Creeper: What the hell took so long?**

**Demon: Well, summer is a hell of a time, whether good or bad. Plus, my computer's been wonky lately.**

**GoodWriter: Gremlins maybe?**

**Demon: Doubt it. However, if it is, I'll grab the little fucker and re-enact the microwave scene from the Gremlins movie. **

**GoodWriter: That seems a bit cruel.**

**Creeper: Who cares? **

**Lexboss: Demon, Creeper, what the fuck is wrong with you?**

**Demon: I swear, I can't even joke in my own story. Fucking political correctness. Anyway, onward.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto in any way. Nor do I own Ninja Warrior/Sasuke in any way.**

"Talking" – _Thinking_ – **Demon/Summoning Speaking/Jutsu **– _**Demon/Summon Thinking**_

The Orphan Trio, Chapter 3: Business Planning

"Kurohi, I don't think this will work." Toshi sighed as his friend continued to draw. Kurohi just rolled his eyes as he finished his schematic.

"Trust me, Toshi. We could be successful with this if we do things right!" The Dark user replied, smiling at his handiwork. Naruto wisely kept out of the discussion, opting to continue his clone training.

Three weeks had passed since the Hokage moved the three kids into the apartment they currently were in. As promised, the landlord had no problems with Naruto for his "condition", and was friendly towards all three of them. The kids were very thankful that they were able to find a safe location to live.

Well, somewhat safe. As expected, a lot of villagers started trying to destroy the apartment once they learned the "demon" lived there. However, the security seal Toshi asked Sarutobi to add worked wonderfully, protecting the apartment from damage and forcefully repelling anyone who tried to break in.

While the first week was stressful when the kids would leave the apartment, due to the villagers' hatred towards Naruto and his two friends, the orphans managed to figure out a simple solution. The three spent the majority of their time training the three jutsus the Hokage had given them, and quickly learned two things about the Henge. First off, the trio was able to improve on the Henge by making the transformations real, rather than just an illusion. Secondly, the Henge easily fooled the civilians and numerous ninja. This allowed for Toshi, Kurohi, and even Naruto to shop for needed supplies relatively easily. Unfortunately, most Jonin were able to detect the disguise, but luckily most Jonin respected Naruto for what he was doing for the village by living.

There was only one small snag on their training. It seemed the trio was all unable to successfully perform the clone jutsu. It turned out that the three just weren't able to use the jutsu with their chakra reserves. Toshi managed to find a way around it by creating a physical Lightning clone using lightning chakra. Meanwhile, Kurohi was able to make physical clones using his Dark chakra. Then, there's Naruto…

Due to Naruto not having any Kekkei-Genkai, nor having any knowledge of his affinity, he was unable to create a clone through another method. Sarutobi, upon learning this, offered Naruto a similar jutsu to use, but Naruto stubbornly refused. He explained that he wanted to learn the clone jutsu and would not take any short cuts to learn it. After a little back and forth (i.e. a full day of debate), Naruto agreed to learn the Shadow Clone jutsu, but only if he could not learn the clone jutsu by the last year of the academy. As such, he continued to push himself to learn the standard clone.

"Kurohi, you're basing this off a television show. Even if it is real, it's still TV." Toshi commented, annoyed at his friend's stubbornness. Kurohi scoffed. "Look, all I need is a loan and we can make thousands, maybe millions!" The boy replied, also getting annoyed. Getting annoyed with the constant arguing, Naruto stopped his training and walked over to the arguing pair.

"Okay, what the hell is going on? You two haven't shut up about this all week!" Naruto shouted. Toshi pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. "Kurohi is trying to set up an obstacle course in the village and thinks he can make money from it. However, it's based off something he saw on television." The Iwa native sighed. Kurohi decided to speak up at this point.

"It's called Ninja Warrior. It takes place in two locations far away from here. It's a difficult obstacle course made up of four sections, each extremely difficult and taxing on the body. Whoever manages to complete the course wins 500,000 ryo. So far, in one location, only three people managed to complete the entire course in its current life of about 15 years. The other region, having only done it five years, hasn't had anyone complete it. However, hundreds challenge it every time the competition takes place." The Kiri native replied.

Naruto looked at the blueprints Kurohi drew up. He didn't know much of construction, but even he could tell the designs were well done. Looking back at the kid, Naruto sighed. "And how are you planning to make money off of this?" The blond asked. Kurohi pointed at the drawings.

"We could charge people to attempt the course. We offer a prize of some kind to whoever can complete all four stages. If we charge, say, 5 or 10 ryo for a chance, people may be more likely to try it. It's like a lottery. Put in 5 or 10 ryo, have a chance to win 100,000 ryo. Face it, people are greedy. Give a chance to win big and people will go for it." The dark user explained proudly. Toshi lowered his hand slowly. "Actually, he has a point. If there are two things that cause people to fall, they are pride and greed." The Iwa kid said. "Still, where do you think you can get a loan?"

(**page break**)

"You want to borrow how much?!" Sarutobi asked, shocked at the request Kurohi came in with. The Kiri native had explained his idea to the old man, showed the blue prints, and described the competition behind it. Sarutobi had to admit that for an eight year old, the kid had some good ideas. Sarutobi could even see it as a good way to train the ninjas during their off time. However, Kurohi's requested amount stunned him.

"1,000,000 ryo." Kurohi replied, not missing a beat. It was a high amount for a loan, especially for a child, but the black haired boy did his homework. Or rather, he had Toshi do the homework. Along with the cost of materials, labor, and land necessary to build the course, Kurohi would need to get permits from both the Hokage and the organization that ran the competition. The former was required to acquire the large amount of land the course would stay at, and the latter was to get authorization to use the name and trademark for the course.

The boy managed to contact the group, and got permission to use the brand, but it couldn't be an official "Mt. Midoriyama" like the ones in the other regions. Instead, the course will be considered a training course. However, the prize offer will still be allowed, as will any records achieved on the course.

Another issue brought up was the fact that the ninjas attempting the course would likely use their chakra to help them. Since those in the other regions couldn't use chakra in the competition, it would be unfair if the ninjas in Konoha did. After discussing this with Sarutobi, Kurohi learned that the course could have special seals in place to prevent the use of chakra, and set alerts off if someone did so to cheat.

Sarutobi sighed and blew out a ring of smoke from his pipe. "Kurohi, I can't just loan a million ryo to a child. However, I do like your idea for the course. You say that the entire thing is comprised of four stages. I think it would be easier to do this one piece at a time. How much would you need to construct one portion of the course?" The old man asked.

Kurohi walked over to Toshi and Naruto, who were both standing to the side, and began muttering to the pair. After a few moments, Kurohi nodded and walked back to the Hokage, ready to respond. "Well, it would be a bit more cost-effective to build the course in its entirety, but you have a point about the ease of doing it little by little. Not only that, but it might get more people interested because they will attempt one stage and get excited when the next is built.

"As for the cost to build stage one, it will still be a high amount. With the cost of materials, labor, permits, and the seals, it will cost about 400,000 ryo. However, we can reduce it a bit through labor if we use our clones to help the construction." Kurohi looked over to Naruto, who nodded reluctantly. Kurohi turned back to the Hokage and continued, "With that in mind, Naruto has agreed to learn the Shadow Clone jutsu to help with construction and reduce the cost of labor, but will not use it in practical purposes until he either completes the clone jutsu or the fourth year of the academy begins, whichever happens first. That should help reduce the cost to about 300,000 ryo."

Sarutobi thought things over a moment before smiling faintly. This could help Naruto quickly and get the three of them some experience in construction before they even graduate the academy.

"Alright, Kurohi. The loan amount of 300,000 ryo is accepted. As a show of good faith, you will have no interest charged for this loan. Since you are not a ninja yet, you have until you graduate to pay off the loaned amount. However, if you cannot pay off the entire amount by that time, your pay as a ninja will be taken to pay off the balance until it is paid off. Furthermore, any future loans you take out will have a somewhat high interest rate if this occurs. Do you accept these conditions?" Sarutobi asked, setting the conditions for the large loan.

Kurohi responded with a curt "Hai" and signed the document. Once he was done, Sarutobi took the paper and added one more condition. "One last thing. While you three can work on this project during your free time, you must not use this as an excuse to skip the academy, which begins in three days. Understood?"

The three children nodded in approval. Sarutobi smiled at their resolve and stood up. "Now, Naruto, it's time we teach you the Shadow Clone. This shouldn't take too long."

**Demon: Okay, chapter 3 is finished.**

**Lexboss: You didn't really do much here, did you?**

**Creeper: Yeah, what about the action?**

**Demon: Well, I know it's short, but I think some people might appreciate the idea.**

**GoodWriter: But why add the Ninja Warrior thing to this?**

**Demon: Well, last year someone from my school competed in the American Ninja Warrior. He didn't make it past the Qualifier, but he was very proud to have the chance. Since I like the show and saw his performance, I thought there would be a way to add this in somewhere.**

**Creeper: Actually, a ninja course in a ninja fanfic sounds about right.**

**Demon: Exactly. Anyway, if you like the idea, keep on the lookout for more of it later. If you don't, then so long, because I'm keeping this in here.**

**Creeper: Good, now let's wrap this… What the hell?**

**(Door crashes open, police rushing in)**

**Officer: Freeze! You are under arrest!**

**Creeper: Hey, what the hell are you doing?**

**(Creeper gets dragged out of the house)**

**Demon: (looking at GoodWriter) You didn't…**

**GoodWriter: Sorry, but I warned him.**

**Demon: I don't know whether to be appalled you'd turn him in, or impressed considering my career path.**

**Lexboss: Anyway, read and review!**

**Demon: Right, and remember: No flames!**


	4. Chapter 4 The Council

**Demon: Welcome back to the Orphan Trio.**

**GoodWriter: Demon, another call for you.**

**Demon: Seriously, son of a bitch. Hello?**

**Creeper: **_**Dude, I need you to get me out of here! Now!**_

**Demon: Creeper, I can't bail you out. They didn't allow bail.**

**Creeper: **_**So?! You have connections! Get me out!**_

**Demon: I'll see what I can do, Creeper. Just hold on a little while.**

**Creeper: **_**Tell GoodWriter his ass is grass!**_

**Demon: I'll tell him. (call ends)**

**Lexboss: What was that about?**

**Demon: GoodWriter, Creeper's pissed.**

**GoodWriter: It had to be done.**

**Demon: Well, let's start the chapter while I try to handle this. By the way, I'm not naming most of the civilian council due to the pointlessness of it.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto in any way. Nor do I own Ninja Warrior/Sasuke in any way.**

"Talking" – _Thinking_ – **Demon/Summoning Speaking/Jutsu **– _**Demon/Summon Thinking**_

The Orphan Trio, Chapter 4: The Council

"Well, you guys ready?" Toshi asked his two friends as they stood in front of a large red building. Kurohi, who was usually loud and excitable, confirmed in an uncharacteristically calm tone. However, Naruto was practically bursting at the seams in excitement. "You bet! We can finally become ninjas!" The blonde shouted happily.

The last few days had been extremely busy for the trio. Naruto, surprisingly, managed to learn the Shadow Clone jutsu in just over an hour. Then again, he was being taught by Hiruzen Sarutobi, the God of Shinobi himself. Once that was taken care of, Kurohi quickly went about setting all preparations needed in place.

The Kiri native managed to talk to the organization involved with Ninja Warrior and got the permits taken care of. In addition, Sarutobi signed all permits necessary immediately upon agreeing to the loan. As soon as all paperwork was done, Kurohi and Toshi summoned a clone each to gather the necessary building materials in town.

The day after Sarutobi gave the loan, the trio started construction on the first stage of the obstacle course's first stage. This is where they learned that the Shadow Clone jutsu was a godsend. While most ninjas were barely able to summon one or two shadow clones with their chakra reserves, Naruto stunned his two friends and the aging Hokage by creating 100 clones effortlessly. With so many clones, the group was able to construct two of the obstacles for the first stage in just two days. Even with the academy taking the majority of their time now, they determined they could finish the course and have it ready to go within a month.

On their way to the academy this morning, the group noticed the hateful glares the villagers tossed at Naruto. There were a few directed towards the other two, but the majority were aimed at the blonde. Naruto had a smile on his face as he walked, but Toshi and Kurohi could tell it was a fake smile, which infuriated the two of them even more.

"Let's head inside and find our classroom. The last thing we need is to end up late on the first day." Toshi said, with both nodding and heading into the building.

(**page break**)

Finding their classroom after five minutes of searching, the three students entered and found an empty seat. Knowing they could take some time to find their room, the three made sure to get to the academy half an hour early. As such, there was only three other students inside the room. The first student was sitting in the back corner. He was dressed in a large overcoat that covered his face, aside from his eyes, which were hidden behind dark sunglasses. He was Shino Aburame.

The second student, who was sleeping in a seat in the center of the room, was dressed in a mesh shirt over a sleeveless shirt. His black hair was in a ponytail that made him look like a pineapple. This student was Shikamaru Nara.

The last student was a female sitting in the opposite corner of Shino. She was dressed in a large cream-colored overcoat and blue pants. Her hair was midnight blue and she had white, pupil less eyes. She was Hinata Hyuuga, heiress of the Hyuuga clan.

As the trio sat down in the seats near the wall, they noticed that none of the three were giving any dirty looks at Naruto. Shino was staring straight ahead, seemingly not noticing the new students. Shikamaru couldn't look at anyone with his eyes closed and behind his crossed arms. As for Hinata, she was glancing over at Naruto, but she wasn't glaring. In fact, she seemed a bit transfixed on the oblivious blond, much to Toshi's and Kurohi's amusement.

Naruto spent the extra time before class started reading the scroll, trying desperately to succeed at the Clone jutsu. Toshi was reading his Iwa history book to pass the time, while Kurohi decided to pull a page from Shikamaru's book and take a nap.

(**page break**)

Sarutobi was sitting in a large room with two long, semi-circular tables in front of him. On his left sat Koharu Utatane, and on his right was Homura Mitokado, his two teammates from when he was a Genin. Sitting directly below him was another teammate, Danzo Shimura. Sitting on the Hokage's right side on the large table was the Shinobi council. The council was comprised of a number of major Shinobi clans in Konoha. The current councilors were Shikamaru's father Shikaku Nara, Choza Akamichi, Tsume Inuzuka, Shino's father Shibi Aburame, Hinata's father Hiashi Hyuuga, Inoichi Yamanaka, and Asuma Sarutobi, who happened to be Hiruzen's son.

On the other side sat the council representing the civilian section of Konoha. Six of the councilors were unimportant aside from certain sections of the village. The only major clan head was Kizashi Haruno, who was a partial investor in the Yamanaka's flower shop. As such, the Harunos and Yamanakas were friendly with each other, surprisingly rare with civilians and Shinobi.

Sarutobi honestly hated the civilian side of the council with a passion. It was created during the time of peace before the Second Shinobi World War. The idea was to relax the civilians after the first war took place, but the civilians quickly began to overstep their boundaries. During the Second War, the civilians underhandedly forced Konoha to turn against the Uzumaki Clan in Uzushio, the hidden Whirlpool village. While Minato Namikaze managed to rein their control in, they gained back their authority once he died, something Sarutobi regretted with every breath.

What pissed him off greatly was the fact they kept butting into Shinobi business. The Shinobi couldn't control much of the civilian matters unless it pertained to them as well, which gave the civilians an unfair amount of pull. Mentally sighing, Sarutobi got the headache-inducing meeting started.

"This meeting is in session!" Sarutobi announced with a strong, clear voice. Looking towards the civilians, who wanted the meeting, he motioned for the first order of business.

A muscular civilian stood up, bowing at the Hokage with an arrogant smirk. That was another thing Sarutobi hated about the civilians. They knew they had a lot of power, and they tended to flaunt it in front of everyone. Even when they showed "respect" to the Hokage, they did it while not actually being respectful.

"The first order of business involves the development of some structures in the northern part of the village. There were no permits applied to the area, and whoever constructed the structures need to remove those things immediately." The civilian said, keeping his smirk somehow while frowning. Sarutobi sighed, knowing this was going to suck.

"I'm afraid you're incorrect, councilor. The individuals responsible came to me directly for permits and I agreed to them." The councilor's frown deepened as he glared at the Hokage. "Then who got the permits?" He roughly asked. Sarutobi stared at the councilor as he spoke. "The three individuals were Kurohi Yami, Toshi Jiryo, and Naruto Uzumaki." At the last name, the majority of the civilian council erupted in outrage. "How could you let **him** build anything in this village?!" Another civilian angrily shouted, standing up near the first councilor.

This was what pissed Sarutobi off the most about the civilians. The council hated Naruto with as much passion as Sarutobi hated them. They all had lost someone in the Kyuubi attack and immediately blamed Naruto for it. Most of them saw Naruto as the Kyuubi since it was inside him. They constantly worked to screw Naruto out of everything they could, and whatever Sarutobi prevented, they ignored anyway. Furthermore, after three civilian councilors were executed for violating the law concerning Naruto, they started referring Naruto as "boy" or "him", managing to avoid the penalty by the skin of their teeth.

The only civilian councilor Sarutobi didn't hate was Kizashi Haruno. Despite losing his mother in the Kyuubi attack, Kizashi held no ill will towards Naruto. He and his wife Mebuki were able to understand what Minato accomplished, and so they did not believe the blonde was the fox in human form. Along with most of the Shinobi councilors, Kizashi offered to adopt Naruto, but the rest of the civilians stopped that dead.

"Naruto and his friends suggested a good business idea, so I agreed to pull permits for them. In fact, it was Kurohi Yami that requested the permits, so you cannot say I showed favoritism towards Naruto." Sarutobi glared at the majority of the council. All glared back except for Kizashi. The pink haired man knew Sarutobi had no hatred or anger for him, but he would act as though he were involved in the civilians' plans. This allowed Kizashi to stay a council member, and allowed Sarutobi to have an extra supporter where he normally wouldn't.

"So, what's this great idea the boy suggested?" Kizashi asked in a gruff, fake angry tone. As far as he was concerned, anything positive for Naruto and his friends was a good thing in his book. Sarutobi faked a glare at the councilor before responding. "They are constructing a difficult obstacle course for training purposes. For a small fee, people will be able to take on the course for a chance at a cash prize. This will allow for our ninjas to get some good physical training during their time off because the course will prevent the use of chakra, meaning they will rely solely on their physical ability."

The Shinobi council listened closely, their interest piqued. They could tell this would be a great way to improve a ninja's physical prowess and allow them to fight without the need of chakra. Surprisingly, even the civilian council could tell this was a good idea, considering many of their children, who were attending the academy, lacked large amounts of chakra. Allowing them to increase their strength would be beneficial to all involved.

"Fine, then. In that case, I nominate that when the course is open and running, we get fifty percent of the money earned." The muscular councilor stated, with another councilor seconding immediately. "All in favor?" The majority of the civilians raised their hands, as well as Koharu and Homura. "All opposed?" The Shinobi council, Kizashi, Sarutobi, and Danzo all raised their hands. "So, that's 8 in favor and 10 against it. The motion fails." Sarutobi announced much to the anger of the civilians. Kizashi knew the civilians weren't going to stop bothering about it, so he quickly came up with an idea.

"Lord Hokage," Kizashi started, bowing with actual respect, "will this course be operated at night?" Sarutobi, as well as most of the council, was confused about the question. "Well, Kizashi, I am not sure. We didn't discuss this during the meeting. Why do you ask?" Kizashi gave Sarutobi a quick wink, informing him that he had an idea.

"Well, if it is going to run at night, there will have to be sufficient lighting for safety reasons. Therefore, I have a solution in mind. In return for Konoha providing the lighting necessary for nighttime use, the village will receive ten percent of the money made, excluding any prize money awarded. With the course lit at night, it can make more money, benefiting all involved." The pink haired councilor explained.

Sarutobi inwardly smiled at Kizashi's plan. By enabling the course to run all night as well, more money will be brought in, which will help the boys greatly. In addition, by offering the ten percent, the council won't be bugging the hell out of him or the trio to get their money. He knew Kizashi would be helpful on that side of the council.

"Very well, I second it. So, let's put it to a vote. All in favor?" All hands were raised except the muscular civilian, who still wanted more money. "All opposed?" The councilor raised his hand, pointlessly. "Well, 17 agree, so it is done. Konoha will provide nighttime lighting for the entire course in return for ten percent of money made from the business." Most seemed content with the decision. The civilians may have hated Naruto, but they will at least get some money from him without Sarutobi punishing them.

"Now that the only concern this meeting is taken care of, this meeting is adjourned!" Sarutobi announced, and the room began to clear. Soon, the only two still in the room were Sarutobi and Danzo, who had remained silent for the entire meeting. "So, any chance the civilians will stop mistreating Naruto?" Danzo asked, slightly concerned. Sarutobi sighed. "Unfortunately, I doubt the civilians will ever show much respect for him." The Hokage replied, turning to his teammate and friend. "I appreciate you not asking to put Naruto in ROOT anymore." Danzo smiled at his friend.

"Well, I must admit, while Naruto would make an excellent soldier, I mainly wanted him to join so he'd have peers he could trust somewhat. But now, with his two friends supporting him, there is no need to make him a ROOT." With this, Danzo began walking towards the door before stopping at the frame. Without looking back, he spoke. "I know his father and I didn't always see eye to eye, but I did respect him for what he did for the village, both before and after the Kyuubi attack. If only those idiots did not see the boy for the demon he contains, maybe he could live a normal life." Sarutobi sighed sadly as he followed his friend.

"We both failed Minato, Danzo. But, maybe Naruto's life can change for the better with his friends by his side."

(**page break**)

The rest of the class had filed in and Toshi was closely inspecting each student while reading. The boy in a fur jacket, Kiba Inuzuka, was looking around with a feral grin. Shikamaru was talking with a large boy, Choji Akamichi. And, much to the chagrin of the three friends, there were two fan girls, a blonde and a pink haired girl, arguing about who would sit near Sasuke Uchiha, a black haired boy who was staring out the window, ignoring the two fan girls. The two girls were Ino Yamanaka, the blonde, and Sakura Haruno, the pink haired girl.

'_I can tell most of these kids can be capable ninja, but I honestly don't know about those two fan girls.'_ Toshi thought with a mental sigh. As he finished another chapter in his book, the door opened, revealing two adult males. One had brown hair and a scar across his nose, and the other had a large head of white hair. "Hello, class. I am Iruka Umino, and this is Mezuki. We will be your instructors for the next four years." The scarred man announced.

Despite the man not saying anything, Toshi, Kurohi, and Naruto could tell Mezuki was glaring at the blonde boy. All three shared the same thought at the realization that Mezuki was one of "them".

'_Well, this is gonna be a great fucking time, isn't it?'_

**GoodWriter: Well, it seems chapter 4 is finished.**

**Lexboss: So, Kizashi and Danzo are both good here?**

**Demon: Yeah… (talking on phone) That's right, number 3185516518*.**

**GoodWriter: I don't know much about Naruto. What's the big deal?**

**Lexboss: Well, in canon, Danzo was pretty much a bad guy, and most fan fiction has Sakura's parents hating Naruto.**

**GoodWriter: I see, so it's like if Eggman from Sonic was a good guy here. Odd, even in fan fiction. **

**Demon: Pretty much… (on phone) Yes, that offense.**

**Lexboss: Okay, what the hell are you doing?**

**Demon: Pulling a favor… (on phone) Yes, thanks. (hangs up)**

**Lexboss: What was that all about?**

**Demon: You'll see soon.**

**GoodWriter: Wait, did you just…?**

**Demon: Yep. Anyway, read and review!**

**Lexboss: No flames!**

**GoodWriter: …shit.**

***By the way, if you can PM me with the code behind the number, you'll receive a shout-out in the next chapter! You have from the time this is uploaded to the next upload. Good luck!**


	5. Chapter 5 The First Day

**Demon: Welcome back to the Orphan Trio.**

**(Creeper walks in)**

**Creeper: Feels good to be back.**

**Lexboss: Wait, you're out? I thought you weren't allowed bail?**

**Creeper: Demon pulled a few strings.**

**Demon: A few strings, a favor, and a lot of red tape. You better not fuck up again, I can't pull another for a while.**

**Creeper: Damn, I guess GoodWriter will live then.**

**Lexboss: Speaking of which, where is he?**

**Demon: Due to safety concerns, he took off for a bit. I can't disclose where he went.**

**Creeper: Lucky bastard.**

**Demon: Anyway, let's get to the chapter. By the way, whoever successfully got the code will be mentioned at the end of the chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto in any way. Nor do I own Ninja Warrior/Sasuke in any way.**

"Talking" – _Thinking_ – **Demon/Summoning Speaking/Jutsu **– _**Demon/Summon Thinking**_

The Orphan Trio, Chapter 5: The First Day

The first half of the day was a mix of boring and infuriating for the three friends. The infuriating part of the day began as soon as Iruka and Mezuki introduced themselves. Iruka asked everyone to stand up, give their name, and tell one thing about themselves. Most of the students simply explained what their families did or what their clan specialized in. Sasuke, unlike the others, simply stated his name, not even bothering to stand up. While most of the girls in the class found it admirable, the boys all thought Sasuke was arrogant if he blatantly ignored the request. After Sasuke's turn, it was Toshi.

"My name is Toshi Jiryo. I came to Konoha recently, but originally lived in Iwa." Toshi said before sitting back down. Most kept quiet, but one decided to make a remark. "What makes you think you'd be accepted here?" Toshi looked over to Sasuke, who glared at him. "Excuse me? What was that?" Toshi asked calmly. Sasuke scoffed before continuing. "Why would you think you, an Iwa scum, would be accepted in Konoha? In case you forgot, Iwa and Konoha are enemies. You don't belong here."

"Sasuke, that's enough!" Iruka reprimanded, before Toshi raised his hand. "It's alright, Iruka-sensei." The Iwa native said before turning back to Sasuke. "Well, Uchiha, the reason I thought I'd be accepted here is because of two reasons. First of all, I was not in the war, nor did my clan fight against Konoha in any way. Second, Iwa actually has little resentment for Konoha anymore, something that Konoha obviously doesn't share."

Toshi was right. Most of Iwa accepted the fact that war was war. Moreover, Iwa acknowledged the fact they started the fight with Konoha, and were less hateful of the village. While a small number still hated Konoha for the war, most of the villagers, the Tsuchikage himself included, held no ill will towards Konoha for what they considered their own mistake.

"As for your last statement, Uchiha," Toshi continued, still calm, "you're right, I don't belong here. I absolutely hate people who cannot accept others due to an insignificant reason. I've met plenty of those people in Konoha after being here only ten minutes. In fact, if it weren't for a friend I met immediately upon entering this village, I'd have left and made sure Konoha's reputation would be damaged for what I saw." Naruto's eyes widened slightly, not realizing he was what kept Toshi in Konoha.

"As for one final thing, I was never an Iwa ninja, which should be obvious. The headband I wear as a belt belonged to my father, who was a member of Iwa's forces, before he and my mother were killed by a missing-nin who decided to attack Iwa before he left." Noticing the slightly burned cloth of the headband, a few of the students felt bad for the boy, Iwa kid or not. Again, Sasuke just scoffed, but didn't respond.

Seeing his friend reaching the limit of his patience, Kurohi stood up to take his turn and give Toshi a break. "My name is Kurohi Yami, and I originally was from Kiri. Like Toshi, my parents were killed before I left my village. However, my parents were killed because they held a bloodline, and many of Kiri's villagers are scared shitless of those with bloodlines." Kurohi sat down quickly, not caring if anyone wanted to make a smartass remark about his village. As far as he was concerned, as long as Yagura controlled Kiri, the place could rot.

Naruto stood up to take his turn. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki. I do not know my parents, since I was orphaned from birth, but I will prove myself to the village as a great ninja when I can!" The blonde said excitedly, bringing a slight smile on Toshi's and Kurohi's faces, something they both desperately needed.

The students continued the ritual, but none were as active as the trio's.

The interesting part of the day was when introductions finished and the lesson started. The three kids spent a month reading about Konoha's history along with their training. As such, they knew everything being spoken. However, they noticed that the story of the Kyuubi attack was mostly false, with it claiming the Fourth was able to kill the fox at the cost of his life. Naruto wanted to object, but he knew better than to argue it, especially knowing the story was to help keep him safe.

However, this was another thing that pissed Toshi and Kurohi off. It seemed that Iruka would read out the information, and then Mezuki would ask questions and choose students to answer. But, every time Mezuki asked a question, Naruto would raise his hand to answer. Despite this, Mezuki would wait until someone else would raise their hand and let them answer, seemingly ignoring Naruto altogether. In one instance, Naruto was the only one to raise his hand for a question. After a few seconds, Mezuki said "I guess nobody knows then," and proceeded to give the answer. Worse, Iruka seemed to ignore the fact that Mezuki was disregarding Naruto, and this pissed the Iwa and Kiri kids, while depressing Naruto. Luckily for the three, lunch time was about to start.

(**page break**)

Everyone was sitting outside during lunch time, either in groups or by themselves. Toshi, Kurohi, and Naruto were sitting under a large tree, enjoying their lunch and talking about the obstacle course.

"With our progress, we can probably finish it in about a month." Kurohi said, looking over the blue prints he brought with him to the academy. Toshi nodded, and Naruto adopted a thinking pose. After a moment, his face brightened. "I have an idea, guys." Naruto suddenly said, causing both to look at him quickly. "What is it, Naruto?" Kurohi asked curiously. However, before the blonde could respond, a loud scream broke their conversation.

"How dare you talk like that to Sasuke, you piece of shit!" Looking over, they found Sakura Haruno standing in front of Toshi, her arms crossed and a glare on her face. Toshi mentally sighed, _'I can't get a break today, can I?'_ he thought. Before he could answer the pink-headed girl, he was beaten to the punch.

"Shut the hell up, pinky! Your precious 'boyfriend' started that shit in there and Toshi was defending himself." Kurohi shouted, about ready to teach this banshee a lesson if need be. Toshi, however, was not very amused by the angry girl's reaction to Kurohi's statement. "Look, Haruno, he attacked my home, and I was going to defend it. Besides, you give me shit about treating Sasuke badly, but you don't seem to realize what you just did."

Sakura was still angry as she spat out, "What?" Toshi smirked inwardly, knowing he got her. "Well, if someone is strong enough to handle something, they take care of it themselves. By attacking me about what I said to Sasuke, you're essentially saying that Sasuke is too weak to handle what I said himself." As he said that, he quickly did a strange sign where he took his index fingers and made a plus sign with them, keeping the rest of his hand in a fist.

As he expected, Sakura exploded in anger at the insinuation Toshi made. "How dare you think Sasuke is weak, you Iwa trash!" She yelled as she threw a punch at the boy. However, she found she couldn't move, or rather, she couldn't move forward. Suddenly, she felt a slight pain as she slammed onto the nearby flag pole. Trying to move, she found herself wedged on the pole. "What the hell did you do?" She raged, glaring at the boy. Toshi smirked.

"Well, Haruno, I just used one of the jutsus my clan was famous for. It's called **Magnet Style: Magnetism Attract**. It allows me to turn someone into a magnet of sorts, attracting them to metal objects, like the flag pole you're stuck to. Don't worry, Haruno. The effects will wear off in an hour." Chuckling, the boy returned to his friends under the tree.

Naruto was amazed. "Wow, you're a Magnet Style user? That's awesome!" The blonde said happily, wondering if the boy had a special power or if he was simply an Earth user. The magnet user smiled. "Yep. In fact, my clan was different from normal Magnet users. Normally, it only allows the control of certain metals, like iron or gold. However, my clan's Kekkei-Genkai is a bit of a mutation of the original. With it, we can control metals like normal users, but we can also affect people and objects, turning them into powerful magnets." He replied.

Looking back at Sakura, he smirked. "In fact, she should count herself lucky. At the moment, I don't have full control of that jutsu. If I did, I could choose to strengthen the pull, allowing other metal objects to stick to her. Once mastered, I can have someone be impaled by their own kunai or other metal tools." Toshi explained, causing Naruto to whistle in appreciation. Kurohi decided to take this time to get back on track.

"So Naruto, what was that idea you had?" The Dark user asked, snapping the blonde out of his admiration. Naruto gave a foxy grin as he turned to Kurohi. "Well, it depends on a question. How long can you guys have your physical clones last?" He asked his friends. Kurohi and Toshi gave a confused look before answering. "Well, I can have my Lightning clone last two hours if needed." Toshi said, with Kurohi stating the same. Naruto's smile widened a bit.

"Well, if we were to each create a clone and let the clone go to class for us, we can spend that time working on the course, getting it done faster." Toshi and Kurohi were impressed by Naruto's idea. They could create the clones, work for an hour or so, then return and switch with the clones before they dispelled. Brilliant.

The trio quickly agreed, finished their lunch in minutes, then each made a clone while nobody was looking. The clones began resting under the tree while the originals quickly bolted out of the grounds, heading to their project.

(**page break**)

Ninety minutes later, the trio, henged as mice, snuck back into the academy building. Thanks to Naruto's idea, they managed to complete another obstacle, which left only 5 more until the first stage was complete. Kurohi estimated that if they continued this during the academy, they'd finish in about two weeks. The three "mice" found their classroom before sneaking under the door and running to the feet of their clone counterparts. Unfortunately, they realized they had a bit of a problem. Since the trio was in the center of the class, they couldn't just switch with their clones without notice. Naruto took a look at the seat next to him and grinned, nodding to his friends that he had another idea.

Quickly, Naruto made a clone of himself in mouse form, the process creating a small smoke cloud under the desk, unnoticed by anyone. The trio prepared for the distraction to take place. The clone mouse went to the person sitting next to Naruto and bit him on the ankle. Hard.

"Ouch! What the hell was that?!" Sasuke shouted loudly as the pain from the bite hit him. Hearing his shouts, and seeing his jumping out of his seat, everyone looked at the Uchiha, not noticing the trio switching with their clones and unhenging, their clones dispelling. Sasuke kicked the mouse away, where it ran out of the room and dispelled. The trio sniggered as the class laughed at the scene in front of them.

(**page break**)

"You're shitting me? The council tried to stop my project?!" Kurohi shouted angrily. After class finished for the day, an ANBU appeared telling the trio they were needed at the Hokage's office. Once they arrived, Sarutobi activated the silence seals and explained what happened at the council meeting that morning.

"Yes, Kurohi, they did. However, I showed that the permits were correctly applied for, so they cannot affect the course. As a precaution, however, I suggest having the safety seals applied to the area as well as the chakra suppression seals." Sarutobi replied, blowing a smoke ring from his pipe.

Kurohi was furious that the council would try to remove his project, or their goddamn tax on it. "How do I appeal that decision to take the money from the course? Those bastards don't deserve a cent out of it!" He snapped, slamming his hand on the desk. Before Sarutobi could respond, Toshi calmed down the Dark user. "Kurohi, relax. This will work out better than before." The Magnet user said, the blonde nodding in agreement. Kurohi scoffed and looked at his friend. "How?"

Naruto, surprisingly, spoke up here. "Think about it, Kurohi. If the village lights up the course for us at night, then we'll have the chance to make more money with it. Because of that, the ten percent they take will hardly be noticeable." Sarutobi nodded and added, "In fact, I had my secretary run some numbers, and the civilians fucked up when they agreed to it. Kizashi really was smart with that." Seeing the confusion on the trio's faces, the Hokage elaborated. "The cost to light the full expanse of the course will cost a large sum of money. In fact, if your business works out well enough, the money collected will pay for the power, as well as possibly having a surplus afterward. So, if the collected amount goes over the cost of lighting, the excess may find some good use, like perhaps an emergency fund for the owners of said business?" Sarutobi hinted, smirking.

The three students smirked as well, getting what Sarutobi was getting at. Whatever doesn't go towards lighting, the Hokage would store for them to use in whatever expenses occur before they have to deal with them. That way, the council believes they get to screw them over, but don't receive a penny at all. That was genius.

"Tell Kizashi he's going to have a 'thank you' when the business is up and running." Kurohi laughed, realizing he wasn't getting screwed after all. Toshi had another thought. "Lord Hokage, what's Kizashi's last name?" The Iwa native asked. The Hokage shrugged and answered. "Kizashi's last name is Haruno. In fact, I think you may know his daughter, Sakura Haruno. She's in your class."

There was a moment of silence before Kurohi responded. "Oh, shit."

**Demon: Chapter 5 is complete.**

**Lexboss: So, Toshi's a Magnet user, huh?**

**Demon: Yep, I liked the Magnet Release, but I always thought there could be the possibility of magnetism, not just control of iron sand.**

**Creeper: So, a Magnet user and a Dark user. Any reason for the two?**

**Demon: Well, the Dark Release had only two moves shown, where attacks are absorbed and released back. Not much to show. **

**Lexboss: I see, so essentially a clean slate to work with.**

**Demon: Exactly. Two rarely used bloodlines with little shown practical use. Perfect to work around.**

**Creeper: I see. Any special bloodline for Naruto?**

**Demon: Not really, but he will have some skill and jutsus, rather than have nothing like in canon.**

**Creeper: That's good to hear.**

**Demon: Anyway, below is the description for the jutsu used, as well as anyone who PMed me with the correct guess to what the code last chapter stood for. The code was 3185516518, or 3-18-5-5-16-5-18. Going alphabetical, it's C-R-E-E-P-E-R. **

**Lexboss: Damn, clever.**

**Demon: Anyway, read and review!**

**Creeper: No flames!**

Shout-out for those who correctly guessed the CREEPER code

1.

2.

3.

Jutsus Introduced

Magnet: Magnetism Attract: The user magnetizes a target, which causes metallic objects of all kinds to become attracted to the target. This causes either metal objects to go to the target, or the target gets dragged to large, nonmoving metallic objects. This jutsu is useful when there are a large number of weapons nearby or on the target's person, as it can turn their weapons against them. (Rank D)


	6. Chapter 6 Stage One Complete

**Demon: Welcome back to the Orphan Trio.**

**Creeper: Dude, is GoodWriter coming back?**

**Demon: I don't know man. You did pretty much threaten him.**

**Creeper: Fair enough. **

**Lexboss: Hey, guys, GoodWriter's on Skype.**

**Demon: Really? Set up the video call.**

**(GoodWriter pops up on computer screen)**

**GoodWriter: Hey, guys. (sees Creeper) Oh, shit!**

**Creeper: Don't worry about it.**

**GoodWriter: Really?**

**Demon: Yeah. Creeper found out I can't get him out again, and he already has two strikes on him.**

**GoodWriter: Maybe, but he might think I'm worth the third.**

**Lexboss: He won't kill you if you come back.**

**Creeper: Yeah, apparently even hitting you once will throw me back for good.**

**GoodWriter: … I'll think about it.**

**(GoodWriter kills the video call)**

**Demon: Well, let's get to the chapter. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto in any way. Nor do I own Ninja Warrior/Sasuke in any way.**

"Talking" – _Thinking_ – **Demon/Summoning Speaking/Jutsu **– _**Demon/Summon Thinking**_

The Orphan Trio, Chapter 6: Stage One Complete

Two weeks had passed since the Academy started, and the orphan trio was both excited and pissed. The trio was pissed because of a certain raven-haired Uchiha. After talking with the Hokage about what had happened during their first day, the trio learned that Sasuke was an orphan as well. They learned that Sasuke's brother Itachi had massacred the entire clan, save himself and Sasuke. While Kurohi still considered Sasuke an ass, Toshi and Naruto felt they should at least try to befriend the Uchiha.

However, the attempt was for naught. Sasuke continued his remarks about how Toshi didn't belong in Konoha as an enemy, causing irritation among the trio. Moreover, the Uchiha told the other two that they were enemies of Konoha by associating with him. Unsurprisingly, Kurohi snapped first, telling the Uchiha to fuck off. Naruto followed soon after, feeling befriending Sasuke was not worth losing his first friends.

(**page break**)

While he did not show it, Toshi was infuriated by Sasuke's remarks. However, it got worse as the first week finished. During the second week, the students would have daily sparring sessions, in which they would spar with each other for practice. The students were not allowed to use any Ninjutsu, having to rely on Taijutsu alone. The first spar of the year was between Sasuke and Toshi.

Toshi kept himself in check for the majority of the spar, but Sasuke held nothing back. He even declared that he would improve Konoha by "killing the enemy today". Amazingly, neither Iruka nor Mezuki reprimanded Sasuke for his remark, or his brutality. Sasuke clearly meant what he said, going for fatal strikes every time. Moreover, he broke a rule and used his **Fire Style: Fireball** jutsu, nearly hitting the Magnet user. Again, neither teacher stopped the fight or admonished the Uchiha.

Each day, Sasuke would fight, and try to kill, the Iwa native, much to the growing rage of the trio. Each fight ended with Sasuke winning due to his aggression as opposed to Toshi's reserved fighting. However, during today, Sasuke made a mistake. A major mistake. As the spar continued, Sasuke decided to put Toshi down more, hoping this would make the boy lower his guard and make it easier to kill him.

"It's a good thing your parents were killed, scum. That's two pieces of trash that I don't have to get rid of. Whoever killed your parents made the world a better place." As he finished the statement, he threw together hand signs, firing off another Fireball jutsu. However, his statement had the opposite effect than he intended.

Toshi, hearing the Uchiha's remark, finally snapped. He quickly dodged the fireball and ran up to the Uchiha. Swinging hard, Toshi smashed his fist into Sasuke's face, sending the Uchiha flying into a tree at the end of the field. Sasuke was stunned as he slammed into the tree, amazed the Iwa scum managed to hit him. As he started to stand up, he heard Toshi's angry words.

"Screw this. I don't care if I lose this fight, but you just crossed the line. You want to cheat and use Ninjutsu, fine. I'll do the same!" Toshi shouted as he threw a few hand signs together, pushing his palms toward Sasuke. "**Magnet Style: Iron Pull**!"

At first, nothing seemed to be happening, but only a second later, Sasuke started screaming in agony, writhing on the ground. As the students watched, pink splotches began appearing on the Uchiha's skin as the boy continued screaming. Iruka saw enough and stopped the fight. Toshi dropped his hands and started walking away. Loud enough for all to hear, Toshi called to the downed boy.

"You tried to kill me every time we fought, but now you know you can't. I could have killed you right here if I wanted to. But, I didn't. I'm not the trash, here, Uchiha. You are." Toshi walked off the grounds, followed by Naruto and Kurohi.

(**page break**)

Toshi had received a reprimand from Sarutobi soon after the fight, but the Magnet user told the old man what had been happening. In the end, the Hokage decided that Sasuke started the problem and Toshi defended himself. However, he also told the Magnet user to never use it again on someone while in the academy. Toshi agreed, but also informed the Hokage that he will defend himself again if Sasuke tries to kill him.

(**page break**)

Despite the extreme frustration over the weeks, the trio managed to handle a few important things. For one, they managed to meet and talk to Kizashi Haruno. At first, they were worried Kizashi would be angry with them for how Toshi handled the situation with Sakura. However, they discovered that Kizashi was siding with them, much to Sakura's displeasure. Kizashi had explained that he didn't like the fact that Sakura was acting like a fan girl, and that Sasuke deserved what happened to him for his remarks. The trio was relieved with that, and thanked the man for his help in keeping their business plan safe from the civilians.

In addition to thanking Kizashi, the trio successfully was able to complete the first stage of the course. Each of the eight obstacles was built over a large pit. The trio walked along the course, writing down what they have left to do.

"Alright, now we need to get some people to fill the pit with water." Kurohi stated as they examined the course. "I'm sure we only need one or two people to use some water jutsu and the pit will be taken care of." The group also noted that the village had already set up the lighting for the entire area needed for all four stages. Luckily, the power was set up to allow for each stage to be lit on its own, allowing the trio to not worry about the light cost when only using one section.

In addition, the trio managed to set up the registration area, the countdown clock, and the current leaderboard showing the top three finishers in each stage. However, the first stage board was the only one exposed. The other three were covered by durable tarps. Finally, just as Sarutobi suggested, the entire stage had chakra-restricting and damage-proof seals in place, making sure nobody could cheat or damage the course.

"Once that's taken care of, we can open the course and get things going." Kurohi said excitedly, rolling up the blueprints and walking over to the registration area.

"Once what's taken care of, Kurohi?" The trio looked to see Sarutobi walking towards them, a smile on his face. Toshi grinned back. "Let me guess, you managed to finish the paper work, Lord Hokage?" The Magnet user asked. Sarutobi smirked as he placed a hand on the boy's head. "Yes and no. I finished a pile for now, and I'm taking a break before my secretary brings me another damned stack." Naruto decided to give a suggestion. "Old man, why don't you just use a Shadow Clone to handle your paper work? I mean, if you use one, you can relax and still know what is going on your desk." The blonde asked.

Slowly, the smile slipped off the Hokage's face, eventually replacing a frown and an eye twitch. Suddenly, Sarutobi slammed his head down onto the registration table with a yell of "Dammit!" Sarutobi couldn't believe he hadn't thought of that, let alone that an eight year old managed to. Lifting his head, Sarutobi looked over to Naruto. "Just for that, Naruto, you're getting a week off the academy. Thank you for that suggestion." Naruto was thrilled, while the other two was sweat dropping at how happy the Hokage was acting for a simple suggestion.

"Anyway," Kurohi started, getting Sarutobi's attention. "All we have left to take care of is filling the pit under the course with water. This is so when someone falls, they'll land in water and not get injured. Of course we're making people sign waivers just in case, but it's a good idea to have it as safe as we can." The old man nodded before looking toward the large pit. Sarutobi smiled as he turned back to the children. "Don't worry, I have this covered."

The trio was surprised to see Sarutobi quickly fill the pit with a powerful water jutsu, finishing in thirty seconds flat. Sarutobi started walking towards the tower, giving a wave. "You can start the course tomorrow. See you guys later!" The Hokage called as he left, leaving the kids both surprised and excited to start their business and, hopefully, pay back that 300,000 ryo loan.

"I hope this goes well." Kurohi said, the others nodding in agreement.

**Demon: Chapter 6 is finished!**

**Lexboss: Is this Ninja Warrior thing going to be around a lot?**

**Demon: Here and there. I am going to get the course built, and it will be discussed a bit during the story, but most of the hubbub with it is pretty much done.**

**Creeper: Good, I want some action!**

**Demon: Well, there's another thing to mention. I'm going to do a time skip to the end of the academy next chapter. Doing four years of the academy is going to suck. Besides, the anime skipped to the end on episode 1, so I'm skipping to the end.**

**Lexboss: Alright, so is GoodWriter coming back?**

**Demon: He might be. I'll contact him later.**

**Creeper: Alright. Just remind him, I'm not wasting my third strike on him.**

**Demon: …Right. Anyway, read and review!**

**Lexboss: No flames!**

Jutsus Introduced

Magnet: Iron Pull: The user can remotely control the iron in a target's blood. The user can pull the iron, causing intense pain to the target. If the user has mastered control of the technique, the target can be killed from the iron and blood bursting from the target's body. (Rank D-A)

**Ninja Warrior Stage 1 Obstacle List (Google Ninja Warrior and YouTube to see descriptions and applications of obstacles) (2:10)**

**Quintuple Steps**

**Log Grip**

**Bridge of Blades**

**Jumping Spider**

**Halfpipe Attack**

**Warped Wall**

**Tarzan Swing**

**Final Climb**


	7. Chapter 7 The Time Skip

**Demon: Welcome back to the Orphan Trio.**

**Lexboss: So, is the story going to advance soon?**

**Creeper: Yeah, I wanna see some action and killing!**

**Demon: Well, yes and no. I'm skipping to the end of the academy, but they haven't graduated just yet.**

**Creeper: Shit. Dragging your heels, are you?**

**Demon: Nope, I just want to add a bit more before getting to the main parts.**

**Lexboss: Oh, ok. By the way, is GoodWriter coming back?**

**Demon: He should be here any minute.**

**(GoodWriter walks in)**

**GoodWriter: You guys won't believe this! Some maniac nearly ran me over outside!**

**(Creeper slowly walks to the other room)**

**Lexboss: That's horrible! Are you okay?**

**GoodWriter: Yeah, but it's shaken me a bit.**

**Demon: At least you're ok. Hey, where's Creeper?**

**(Everyone hears Creeper in the other room on the phone)**

**Creeper: You dumbass! You're supposed to hit him, not scare him!**

**Demon: Creeper!**

**Creeper: Oh, fuck. (Creeper runs out of house)**

**Demon: Alright, while I take care of this, enjoy the chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto in any way. Nor do I own Ninja Warrior/Sasuke in any way.**

"Talking" – _Thinking_ – **Demon/Summoning Speaking/Jutsu **– _**Demon/Summon Thinking**_

The Orphan Trio, Chapter 7: The Time Skip

(**4 Years Later**)

As it turned out, Kurohi's concerns were completely unnecessary. From the day the course opened to the public, the business plan proved successful. Both ninjas and civilians alike flocked to attempt the course. Unsurprisingly, the civilians didn't do as well as the ninja, but neither managed to advance far at first. Most civilians failed on the first obstacle, while most of the ninja population would make it as far as the third before falling into the water below.

What the trio did not anticipate was the sheer number of ninjas and attempts each day. While the course proved its difficulty, many refused to give up and would continue attempting the course after signing up again. As a result, the line ballooned and there were complaints of some unable to enter because of the constant reattempts. Before long, the three came up with a solution.

The trio set up a restriction of one attempt a day. This would allow everyone who wanted to try to have an opportunity, rather than be kept back by the repeats. Surprisingly, the entrants encouraged the idea, taking the restriction to heart with no arguments. However, the progress level had not improved as a result of the rule.

After a few weeks had passed, the civilian council realized that they were not receiving any money from the obstacle course like they expected. Unsurprisingly, they raised hell at the next meeting, demanding a larger cut of the profits. However, Sarutobi quashed their demands by pointing out that they already agreed to the first cut. Therefore, they could not argue about the matter any longer. This pissed off the civilian council but thrilled Kurohi.

Speaking of Kurohi, the Dark user was excited at the sheer success of his idea. After only a few months, Kurohi managed to pay off the loan in its entirety. Not only that, but the Kiri native realized that he could fund the next course stages with the money coming in. In addition, the trio began taking responsibility for their apartment instead of having the old man pay their rent for them. Sarutobi understood that they wanted to show they could handle themselves and allowed them to pay. Unbeknownst to them, however, the old man secretly put the amount they paid back into their emergency fund, which was comprised of the excess money taken for the light bill for the course.

Within two years of the course opening, the trio completed the entire course and was excited to see what the villagers could do when the full challenge was in front of them. However, they knew it would be a while before any of the later stages would be used, as nobody advanced past the sixth obstacle on the first stage by that time. The furthest point went to, surprisingly, Kakashi Hatake, the unofficial "laziest" ANBU in Konoha's ranks. He had finished the first five obstacles easily enough, but timed out on the Warped Wall when he didn't even try to scale the wall. Seeing the ex-ANBU make it as far as he did easily, the trio knew they should have the prize ready, even if the furthest contestant was still three and a half stages away.

(**page break**)

Unfortunately, the years spent at the academy were not as happy as their work on the course. For one thing, Sasuke continued his aggression against the trio. The Uchiha would attack them maliciously when he was paired against one of them in spars, which happened fairly often thanks to Mezuki being in charge of the pairings. Even after the trio stopped showing restraint and would fight Sasuke completely, the raven-haired kid wouldn't let up on them.

Worse, whenever one of the trio would defeat Sasuke in their spar, Mezuki or Iruka would announce the Uchiha as the winner, even when Sasuke was on the ground, unconscious. This pissed off the trio because this would drop their grades at the Academy. The worst part was that Sarutobi admitted he couldn't do anything because there wasn't any proof the teachers were sabotaging them. It wasn't long before the trio was teetering on the edge of being bottom of their class.

One of the most infuriating instances was during a lecture about the Fourth Hokage. While listening to the lecture, and ignoring the lies about how the Fourth killed the Kyuubi, Kurohi and Toshi both noticed something while looking at the picture in the book. Their eyes widened as they glanced over to their blonde friend, then back at the book. Meeting each other's glance, they nodded silently, agreeing mentally to have a talk with a certain old man later that day.

(**page break**)

"What the fuck, old man?!" Kurohi angrily shouted at the Hokage, Toshi glaring next to the Dark user. After the day of class, Kurohi and Toshi switched themselves with clones, which went with Naruto back to the apartment they shared. Meanwhile, the two originals went to the Hokage tower.

Sarutobi was sweating bullets since the two kids entered and demanded he remove his ANBU from the room. It was even worse when Kurohi slammed an open textbook on his desk, pointing at the man in the picture. Minato Namikaze.

"How could you keep this from Naruto, Sarutobi?" Toshi asked angrily, trying to keep his temper down. "There's no way you could not know this. Keeping the fact he contained the Kyuubi secret from him is bad enough, but to keep from him the identity of his father! Naruto always asked us how we feel knowing who are parents were. We could tell that he was hurt and wanted to at least know what the feeling was like."

Sarutobi sighed as he looked at the picture of his deceased successor. "I know Naruto is hurting from not knowing his parents. Believe me, I want to tell him with every fiber of my being, I really do. But, I cannot do that." The Hokage said solemnly, looking back at the duo in front of him.

Kurohi was furious and threw the textbook at the wall, making a dent in the drywall. "What do you mean you can't tell him?! You know who his father is, I fucking bet you know his mother! All you have to do is bring him in here and tell him, you old monkey!"

Sarutobi wasn't happy at Kurohi's outburst, but kept his anger in check. "I can't tell him because it's too dangerous. His father had numerous enemies in Iwa and Kumo. If word gets out that he is the Minato's son, those two villages will send assassins after him." The old man replied, gripping his chair tightly.

This time, Toshi reacted. "So what if he had assassins after him? Naruto had people trying to assassinate him in Konoha too. Hell, we still have people trying to break in our apartment and kill him! It isn't like there is going to be much of a difference!" The Magnet user replied angrily, staring at the old man.

Finally, Sarutobi couldn't hold his anger in and slammed his hands on the desk. "That's exactly my point! There are assassins in our village to begin with! If his parentage goes public, you can imagine easily double, maybe triple the number of attempts on his life! Those seals on your apartment will only hold back so much." Toshi and Kurohi's faces softened a bit when they saw a few tears hit the desk.

"Think about it. Most of the ANBU here hate Naruto and refuse to defend him against the attacks from the villagers. Even Danzo's ROOT agents won't help Naruto. Only a few of them care enough to actually defend him. If Naruto can't be defended in his own village, there's no way he'll be protected from two enemy villages. I can't even hire a personal guard for him because those fucking civilians will call it favoritism."

Tears were flowing on the old man's face as he dropped his head, his hat falling off. "I can't take this shit. I really can't. I failed Minato when the villagers started mistreating Naruto. I won't fail him again by having Iwa kill his legacy."

Toshi and Kurohi looked at each other, then back at the crying man. They felt horrible for how they were acting towards the old man. Kurohi sighed before speaking again. "We understand, Lord Hokage. We apologize for our actions." By this point, Sarutobi started to regain composure, drying his eyes before grabbing and replacing his hat. "I understand. I hold no anger for your outburst. It is completely acceptable."

Toshi decided to speak up. "Lord Hokage, if I may?" Getting a nod, he continued, "Why don't you tell Naruto and ask him to keep it secret? It may need to be secret from the public, but Naruto does deserve to know his parents. Besides, if he knows there would be people trying to kill him, it might motivate him to work harder and improve."

The Hokage sighed before looking at Toshi. "I agree that he should know, but I don't think he's ready to keep this secret. The Kyuubi is a big secret, but his heritage is even more important. I'll tell him, but not until he becomes a bit more experienced. I'll tell him after his first Chunin Exams. Whether he passes or fails, I will inform him of his parents. By that point, he'll be able to handle the responsibility that knowledge involves."

Nodding, Kurohi and Toshi bowed before starting towards the door. Just as Toshi was about to leave, he stopped and spoke, his back to the Hokage. "I'm holding you to that promise. If the time comes and you don't tell him, I will. Regardless of the consequences, he deserves to know the truth." With that, the Magnet user walked out, leaving the aging Hokage alone in his room.

(**page break**)

Despite all the ups and downs during the years, the trio had finally made it to the end of the academy. They were currently sitting in the room, waiting for the instructors to arrive. Looking around, the trio spotted most of their friends, either waiting patiently for the test or sleeping (Shikamaru and Kiba). They noticed Sakura and Ino, neither of whom the trio befriended after the Sasuke incident, staring at the brooding Uchiha, whom the trio hated. Orphan or not, he was an ass.

As they looked around, they spotted two other students, both of whom were recent additions to the class during the last year. The first student was extremely pale with short black hair. He wore a short black tank-top that exposed his stomach, black pants and sandals, and black gloves. He was currently doodling on a scroll to pass the time. He was Sai, whom they met from Sarutobi and Danzo. It turned out Sai was originally in the ROOT program Danzo ran, but the war hawk felt he would fit better trained as a regular shinobi. Though he was mostly emotionless, he befriended the trio fairly quickly and respected them. However, he would throw a friendly insult towards them here or there, which they would respond in kind.

The other friend, sitting near Sai, was a girl with short, purple hair. She wore a green dress over a yellow shirt, as well as green shorts and green sandals. Her name was Ami. Originally, she was a year ahead of the trio, but had failed the academy's final test once and was held back. As a result, she was a bit hostile to the current class, but Toshi, Kurohi, and Naruto talked with her a bit when they were alone. They had found she was orphaned since birth, which led to stories being passed around about each other's life. Naruto, seeing that Ami was still a bit hostile throughout their stories, decided to show the girl he trusted her. Against the judgment of Toshi and Kurohi, Naruto told Ami about his "tenant". At first, Ami was scared, but soon understood that the blond in front of her was not the demon he contained. She warmed up a lot after that, knowing it was his biggest secret. It wasn't long before Ami was friends with the trio. Sarutobi wasn't too thrilled when he learned Naruto told Ami, but it was Naruto's secret to share with whoever he pleases.

The trio's thoughts were disturbed when the door to the classroom opened, revealing Iruka and Mezuki. However, to the surprise of most of the class, a third instructor entered the room. This instructor was fairly large and wore his headband as a bandanna over his brown hair. He sported a small brown goatee. Seeing the confusion on the students' faces, Iruka cleared his throat and got his students' attention.

"Good morning, students. Today is an important day for you all. Today, you will be taking the final exam to determine whether you are Genin material. The test will be divided into three parts, the written exam, the Taijutsu exam, and the Ninjutsu exam. If you manage to do well enough on each part, then you will pass and be given a headband. This will show you to be an official Genin of Konoha. Now, helping me with this exam is Mezuki and another instructor. Meet Daikoku Funeno." The now-named Daikoku nodded slightly as he watched the students. Iruka continued, "The first test will be a written exam. You will have one hour to complete this portion of the exam." Mezuki and Daikoku passed out the papers to each student, Mezuki smirking slightly as he handed Naruto his paper. After all of the papers were handed out, Iruka was about to call the start of the test when Ami raised her hand. "Yes, Ami?"

"Why is Daikoku-sensei here?" Ami asked. Daikoku was her teacher the previous year and she wondered why he was here when he hadn't been around for the last year. Daikoku nodded and responded to his student. "I'm here to watch over the test. Direct order from the Hokage." Daikoku said, getting a small glare from Mezuki. '_Damn, the old man must be wise to me_.' The white-haired man thought before quickly erasing his glare. "Now then, you have one hour. Begin." Iruka said, causing all of the students to start their test.

**Lexboss: Demon's not here, so I'll say it. Chapter 7 is finished!**

**GoodWriter: I have to ask, who's this Daikoku guy?**

**Lexboss: I looked him up on Narutopedia, and apparently he's actually an academy teacher.**

**GoodWriter: I would've thought Demon made him up.**

**Lexboss: Same here, but nope.**

**GoodWriter: Also, I'm noticing not much is happening so far.**

**Lexboss: I know, but I'm sure it'll pick up soon.**

**(Demon walks in, dragging an unconscious Creeper)**

**Demon: Oh, it'll pick up soon. Trust me.**

**GoodWriter: What happened to him?**

**(Creeper groans)**

**Demon: It turns out this bastard hired that maniac that nearly ran you over to kill you.**

**Lexboss: Why? I thought he said GoodWriter wasn't worth his third strike?**

**Demon: He thought hiring someone to do it for him would keep him safe.**

**GoodWriter: Not very smart on criminal law, is he?**

**Lexboss: Apparently not.**

**Demon: Yeah, so I need to figure out what to do with him. Anyway, read and review!**

**Lexboss: No flames!**

**(Creeper groans again)**

**Ninja Warrior Stage 2 Obstacle List (1:30)**

**Sliding Jump**

**Salmon Ladder**

**Balance Tank**

**Metal Spin**

**Wall Lift**

**Ninja Warrior Stage 3 Obstacle List (No time limit)**

**Rumbling Dice**

**Body Prop**

**Globe Grasp**

**Cliff Hanger**

**Devil Steps**

**Inverted Wall**

**Pipe Slider**

**Ninja Warrior Stage 4 Obstacle List (:30)**

**Final Tower**


	8. Chapter 8 The Graduation Test

**Demon: Welcome back to the Orphan Trio.**

**GoodWriter: This is going to be interesting.**

**Lexboss: I'm sure it will be. (looks around) Hey, where's Creeper?**

**Demon: He's resting in a secret location.**

**GoodWriter: Why?**

**Demon: Well, I managed to talk with him a bit, and he said he has a bit of a…problem.**

**Lexboss: What kind of problem?**

**Demon: He wants to hurt GoodWriter, but since he can't, he's losing his mind.**

**Lexboss: Is there a way to keep him from going nuts?**

**Demon: I have one idea, but it would need some blood from GoodWriter.**

**GoodWriter: Done.**

**(Demon draws a vial of blood)**

**Demon: Alright, if things go well, he should be fine soon. Anyway, on to the story.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto in any way. Nor do I own Ninja Warrior/Sasuke in any way.**

"Talking" – _Thinking_ – **Demon/Summoning Speaking/Jutsu **– _**Demon/Summon Thinking**_

The Orphan Trio, Chapter 8: The Graduation Test

Everyone was working hard on the first part of the final exam, some clearly having an easier time than others. One of the struggling students was Naruto. He was clearly having trouble with the questions, as evidenced by his lack of writing. '_What the hell? I don't remember any of this being taught in the academy?!_' Naruto thought frantically. The blonde was right.

Unbeknownst to Naruto or the other instructors, Mezuki had given Naruto a written exam for the last Jonin test, hoping that Naruto wouldn't know any answers and fail the first part. Unfortunately, Naruto was unable to answer any of the questions correctly, although he gave a valiant effort. By the time he finished, the time was just about up. A few moments later, Iruka called, "Time!" Everyone handed their exams to Mezuki before being led outside for the Taijutsu exam. Smirking, Mezuki turned to leave but was stopped by Daikoku. "I'll take those, Mezuki." Reluctantly, the white-haired instructor gave the man the exams before heading outside. Daikoku sealed the papers in a scroll before following Mezuki.

(**page break**)

Everyone was waiting patiently for the next part to begin. Naruto, Toshi, and Kurohi were discussing the written test. "That part wasn't too hard." Toshi commented as he looked at the teachers walking up to them. Naruto scoffed slightly, "For you, maybe. For me, it was hell. How was I supposed to know how long a Kunai would last in the air when thrown at a 30 degree upward angle?" The blonde replied, surprising his two friends. "Wait, what? That wasn't on the test." Kurohi said, confused. After only a moment, they realized what must've happened. "Those sons of-"

"Alright," Iruka called, unknowingly cutting the trio off, "We will now begin the Taijutsu portion of the exam. Each of you will pull a colored ball from the bag when your test starts. The color you pull will determine the instructor you face. In order to pass, you must successfully last five minutes against the instructor inside the sparring circle. If you are knocked out or fall out early, you will lose points but still have a grade. If you manage to force the instructor out of the ring, you will earn bonus points. Remember, Taijutsu only. You'll lose points for using any Ninjutsu or Genjutsu. So, first up, Kiba."

Kiba pulled a red ball, which meant he was to face Iruka. The scarred Chunin was holding back for the purposes of the test, but it didn't help Kiba much, who fell out of the ring after only a minute. Shino was next, pulling a white ball for Mezuki. Like Kiba, Shino lasted barely a minute due to his low Taijutsu skill and reliance on his clan's jutsus. Sakura, Ino, and Choji all pulled Iruka and managed to last about two minutes, Choji lasting a little over three. Shikamaru pulled a white ball and forfeited immediately, walking over to a tree while muttering "Troublesome." Ami and Sai managed to last the full five minutes against Mezuki, although Ami had a bit of difficulty.

"Sasuke Uchiha." Daikoku announced. The Uchiha pulled a red ball and prepared for his test. Iruka held back, but even Sasuke was having trouble. Sasuke passed, but lost points for using his Fireball jutsu to blast Iruka out of the ring. As expected, Sasuke was pissed at Daikoku for taking points off, but the instructor told him he didn't follow instructions. The Uchiha stormed off in anger. A few other students barely lasted thirty seconds before being knocked back. Hinata managed to paralyze Mezuki with her Gentle Fist strikes, and then soccer kicked him out of the ring. Finally, it was down to the trio.

"Toshi Jiryo." Toshi pulled a red ball and prepared to face Iruka. Iruka smiled slightly. At first, he didn't like Naruto or his two friends because of Naruto's "tenant". However, after four years of dealing with them, he had changed his tune. Sure, he wasn't thrilled with how often they would sleep in class or screw around, but he could easily tell they weren't anything more than rambunctious kids who studied their asses off at home. He honestly felt horrible about how he sabotaged their grades throughout the academy, but he knew that they would be able to pass the final test easily. Even so, he wanted to make sure they had a fair chance, hence why he asked the Hokage to bring Daikoku in for an unbiased instructor.

Iruka and Toshi fought well for the five minutes. Iruka could tell that Toshi was holding back, just like he was. He knew just from watching the Magnet user's spars with Sasuke. By the end of the time, Iruka was teetering on the edge of the ring. After Toshi left and Kurohi was called, Mezuki walked to the circle. Kurohi returned the white ball and went to the ring.

Unlike Iruka, Mezuki didn't have a change in his views of the three. He hated Naruto since he felt the boy was the Kyuubi in human form. He also hated the demon's two friends since they were obviously corrupted by the fox. He decided not to hold back, figuring if the demon and his friends failed, he'd be considered a hero. He purposely left the two alone during the written test because he knew they'd realize they were given a tougher test. Here, however, there was no way to prove he wasn't holding back.

Unfortunately, he didn't get much of a chance to hold back. As soon as the spar started, Kurohi shot forward and kicked the white-haired man straight into a tree. Unsurprisingly, Kurohi wasn't happy to learn that Mezuki had sabotaged Naruto's written test. Kurohi smirked and walked off the circle. Naruto's name was finally called as Mezuki picked himself up off the tree. The instructor was in some pain, but smirked nonetheless seeing Naruto pull his ball. The two got into the ring and stared at each other.

"You're an asshole, you know that Mezuki-sensei?" Naruto spat, surprising everyone except Toshi and Kurohi. Mezuki frowned. "What do you mean, Naruto?" The instructor asked in a fake nice tone. Naruto rolled his eyes at Mezuki's tone. "Just giving me a test that is too advanced for a graduation test is all. Unless everyone was asked the process to get into ANBU and how long a kunai would last in the air at a 30 degree angle." Iruka narrowed his eyes at his fellow instructor and Daikoku unsealed the test papers. Sure enough, Naruto's test was a Jonin exam test. Daikoku knew it because he took one to see how he'd fare, and he failed it. Daikoku resealed the tests and turned to the blonde. "You will be given the opportunity to retake that test before the final test." The instructor stated as he started the spar.

Mezuki cursed silently. Now, Naruto couldn't fail due to his written test. Worse, he was found out. '_That's it. The demon dies now!_' Mezuki thought angrily. Holding nothing back, Mezuki threw a powerful punch at Naruto's temple, intending to end him in one shot. Naruto saw the man's plan and ducked at the last second. Mezuki was thrown off balance by the missed punch and couldn't stop Naruto from upper-cutting him. Mezuki regained his footing and launched a kick at the blonde. Naruto managed to grab the Chunin's leg and threw him over his shoulder, using Mezuki's momentum to his advantage. Mezuki landed outside the circle, but he didn't care. He was going to kill this demon, come hell or high water.

Mezuki threw a couple hand signs before shouting. "Now you die! **Earth Style: Earth Spear Jutsu!**" Naruto managed to jump out of the way as a number of sharp spikes shot out of the ground. The blonde used one of the spikes as a makeshift springboard and jumped towards the instructor. Naruto head-butted Mezuki hard and the white-haired Chunin fell on his back. Before he could stand back up, Kurohi walked up to him, throwing a couple hand signs. "**Dark Style: Piercing Gaze!**"

Mezuki saw the world around him turn to darkness before a number of creepy-looking eyes appeared out of the darkness and started glaring at him. Mezuki wildly swung around, trying to hit the eyes while yelling at them to leave him alone. Freaking out, Mezuki ran around, trying to escape the glare of the numerous eyes. He finally managed to escape them when he unknowingly ran straight into the same tree Kurohi kicked him into, knocking himself unconscious. Iruka quickly ran to get the Hokage while Daikoku told everyone they'd have an hour to relax while Naruto retook his written test.

(**page break**)

The students, including Naruto, were all waiting for the last part of the exam. Iruka managed to get to the Hokage and explain what happened. Sarutobi quickly called two ANBU to pick up the former instructor and take him to Ibiki, the head of the T&amp;I, or Torture and Interrogation, department for Konoha. It wasn't long before Mezuki confessed that he was in league with some of the civilian councilors and was to fail Naruto, and if possible, kill him. He admitted to all of the times he sabotaged Naruto's and his friends' grades to fail them. Once Mezuki finished confessing, he was thrown into a cell to await his sentence for attempted murder of a child.

During this time, Naruto was given a correct copy of the test and managed to finish it in record time. As expected, this one was much easier to complete. Before they could issue the third part of the exam, Iruka and Daikoku had to grade the students on the first two parts. A fair number had failed the first two parts, which meant they needed an astounding performance on their Ninjutsu test to graduate. Others, like Naruto, Toshi, Kurohi, and Sasuke, aced the first two parts, albeit with Sasuke losing a few points in the Taijutsu test. Now that each student's grades were finished, Iruka walked into the classroom to announce the test and call the first student in.

"Alright. I will now inform you of what this last test is about. This test is to gauge your Ninjutsu abilities. In order to pass this portion, you must correctly use the Henge, Substitution, and Clone Jutsus. With the Clone jutsu, you can use a variant if you are unable to use the standard clone." Iruka pointed out, knowing Naruto and his friends couldn't use the standard Clone jutsu. "In addition, you may also display one other jutsu you know for bonus points. After your performance, we will let you know whether you graduated or not. If you did, you will return to the Academy in two days to receive your team assignments. If you did not pass, you can choose to either retake the year again, or drop out of the Academy if you so choose. Now, will Shino Aburame follow me?" Shino followed Iruka into the next room to take his test.

Shino passed easily, displaying his use of his insects to drain chakra for extra points. He walked out with a headband, saying Choji was next. Choji managed to pass with the three jutsu, and showed his Expansion jutsu for extra points. He was awarded his headband and told the next one to send in. The test continued as such. Ami tried hard, but was unable to complete the Substitution jutsu or the Henge properly and therefore failed. Sasuke showed the three and his Fireball and passed. Sakura and Ino each passed the three needed, but Sakura had no extra jutsu to show, while Ino showed off her Mind Transfer jutsu. Shikamaru lazily completed his three and displayed his Shadow Possession jutsu. Sai showed his Super Beast Scroll, creating an ink Iruka before dispelling it. Kiba and Akamaru, his dog, displayed their Man Beast Clone for extra points. Hinata pulled off her 8 Trigrams-32 Palms jutsu on the log used for Substitution and passed.

A number of students came in with different techniques, and some passed the exam while others failed. Many of them couldn't overcome their poor performance in the first two exams. When Toshi was called in, he used the Henge and Substitution easily, and then used his Lightning clone as a replacement for the clone. He displayed his Magnetism Attract jutsu to stick the two instructors' headbands together before dispelling the jutsu. After he walked out, Kurohi went in and mirrored his friend's success, using his Darkness clone and Piercing Gaze for bonus points, not that he needed them.

Finally, Naruto had his turn. Naruto successfully used the Henge and Substitution, and then used the Shadow Clone jutsu for his replacement to the clone. Finally, the blonde decided to have some fun and used his Sexy jutsu for bonus, sending both instructors back with a nose bleed. While Iruka was pissed Naruto did that "stupid jutsu" as he called it, Naruto countered that it was a good use against most male enemies, and he could reverse it for use against female opponents. Truthfully, Naruto didn't know about that until Toshi pointed it out to him, and he was glad his friend told him. Iruka understood, and while he wasn't happy to see that jutsu again, he accepted its use, albeit limited, in the field. The scarred Chunin smiled and handed Naruto his headband, and the blond happily went back into the classroom, the instructors following him.

"Alright, class. Or, should I say, fellow ninjas," Iruka said proudly, "Report back to this classroom in two days. You will receive your team assignments there. Enjoy tomorrow, because starting two days from now, the road ahead will be difficult. Good day." Iruka dismissed the class and turned to Daikoku. "Thanks for helping me with the exam, Daikoku. Also, thanks for not having a grudge against Naruto. I honestly feel horrible for not having that quality at first."

Daikoku chuckled as the two instructors left the room. "Don't mention it. I'm glad to make sure everyone had a fair chance to graduate. Besides, that little brat isn't a bad kid at all. I even used to shelter him a few times when the mobs would chase after him as a kid. I wonder if he even realizes that I was that man who helped him back then." Iruka smiled, "Even if he doesn't remember you specifically, I'm sure he's never going to forget the kindness shown by a stranger when he was in trouble."

(**page break**)

Ami sat on the bench outside of the Academy, upset that she failed a second time. She was hoping to graduate and become a ninja. Specifically, she was hoping to finally move out of the orphanage she's lived in for her entire life. But now, she wasn't a ninja, she couldn't earn money to get a place to live, and she was having serious doubts that she would pass if she tried again. '_I guess I'm just not cut out for being a ninja. Damn, now what?_' She thought sadly as she watched other students leave with their headbands on, smiling proudly. Soon after, she felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see her three friends smiling at her, all sporting headbands.

"Hey, Ami, are you feeling alright?" Naruto asked softly, his hand on her shoulder. Ami sighed sadly and faced forward again. "Not really. I'm kind of having doubts." Kurohi walked over and sat next to Ami, while Toshi sat on her other side. Naruto stayed behind her, his hands now on the bench. "Doubts about what?" Kurohi asked, concerned. Ami looked down, not wanting to see the headbands anymore.

"I'm thinking that I'm not cut out to be a ninja. I already took the exam twice and failed each time. The first time I was sure I had slacked off just a bit too much, so I tried my best this time. But, it didn't matter. I still failed. Now, I can't get out of that damn orphanage." Tears started to fall from the girl's eyes, and the three guys felt sad for her. Naruto in particular knew how she felt because he lived in the same orphanage when he was younger. Even with how he was treated for having the Kyuubi in him, he knew the orphanage was miserable for everyone there. However, he had a thought and smiled slightly.

"Ami, what if you were offered a job that didn't require you to be a ninja?" The blond asked, raising his friends' attention. Ami sighed before answering her friend. "I looked around. I'm too young for any civilian jobs at the moment. The only way I could have a job is if I turn 16 or I do missions as a ninja." She heard Naruto chuckle a bit, but didn't get the chance to ask why he was laughing.

"I can think of one job you can have that doesn't require a certain age, or a headband. Can you, Kurohi?" The Dark user was confused until Naruto pointed towards the direction of their obstacle course. Getting the idea, Kurohi beamed. "That's right, Naruto. There is a job she can get without a headband or age requirement." Turning to Ami, he spoke again. "Ami, you know we run the Ninja Warrior course, right?" Seeing Ami's nod, he continued. "Well, we could use someone to run the registration booth. If you like, you can do that." Ami's eyes widened at the proposal given to her.

"You're serious? You'll hire me to work with the course?" Ami asked excitedly. Kurohi nodded, and Ami happily grabbed the Dark user in a bear hug. "Thank you! Finally, I can work to get out of that hell hole!" Ami replied, happy to start her new path. Naruto smiled at his friend's reaction, before he remembered something else he talked to the old man about.

"Ami, I think there's a way you can get out of the orphanage even faster than you think." Seeing Ami's hopeful face, he continued. "I spoke with the old man recently, and he told me that our landlord currently has a four bedroom apartment available. If you would like, we could all live together. This way, not only will you be out of the orphanage, but the rent won't be as difficult to handle. What do you guys think?"

Kurohi thought for a moment before responding. "Actually, that would be a good idea. We'll all be able to stay in contact this way, since we'll all live together."

Toshi added his opinion as well. "True, Kurohi. Plus, the rent for each of us will be lower than if we had a three bedroom or a single apartment." Naruto smiled and turned back to Ami. "So, what do you think, Ami? Would you like to live with us?"

Ami was stunned. First, her friends offered her a job, and now they're offering for her to live with them?! "Of course!" Ami shouted as she jumped the bench and bear hugged Naruto like she did Kurohi. After letting Ami calm down, Toshi cleared his throat. "Alright, then it's settled. Let's head to the Hokage's office. We need to get our identification pictures taken, and we can discuss the apartment with Lord Hokage there." The four friends started towards the Hokage tower, ready to get things going.

**Demon: There we go. Chapter 8 is finished.**

**Lexboss: Wow, what a dick.**

**GoodWriter: I know, right? Mezuki must have been horrible in the canon.**

**Demon: He tried to kill Naruto and Iruka, so yeah.**

**Lexboss: So, what's the next chapter going to be?**

**Demon: I'm going to go to the team arrangements, then the bell test the chapter after.**

**GoodWriter: Something tells me this won't be like canon.**

**Demon: No shit. They're not going to be total idiots. Anyway, read and review!**

**(Hidden Location)**

**(A scientist observes Creeper sleeping in a room when another shows up with a box)**

**Scientist 1: What's that?**

**Scientist 2: Boss said it's GoodWriter's blood. He said we know what to do with it.**

**Scientist 1: Right.**

**(Both glance to the vial then to Creeper)**

**New Jutsu:**

Dark: Piercing Gaze: The user places a Genjutsu on a target in which the target is surrounded by a world of darkness. Within the darkness is a number of eyes either glaring intently or just staring at the target. Mostly used as a distraction, but can be used to scare a target into lowering their guard. (Rank D)


	9. Chapter 9 Team Assignments

**Demon: Welcome back to the Orphan Trio.**

**Lexboss: So, team assignments today?**

**Demon: Yep. **

**GoodWriter: So, how's things going with Creeper?**

**Demon: Well, the project was a success, so hopefully Creeper recovers soon.**

**Lexboss: What exactly was the project?**

**Demon: I'd rather not say. **

**GoodWriter: As long as it keeps him from attacking me, I'm fine with it.**

**Demon: Right. Well, let's get to the story.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto in any way. Nor do I own Ninja Warrior/Sasuke in any way.**

"Talking" – _Thinking_ – **Demon/Summoning Speaking/Jutsu **– _**Demon/Summon Thinking**_

The Orphan Trio, Chapter 9: Team Assignments

The next day and a half passed quickly and smoothly for the group. After leaving the Academy, Toshi, Kurohi, Naruto, and Ami headed directly to the Hokage tower to talk with the Hokage. On their way, they noticed a slight change in the civilians. While the hateful glares towards Naruto were still there, they seemed lessened a bit.

While some would consider this progress for Naruto, the group of four could easily tell the real reason behind it. The civilians knew that Naruto had more power than he used to. One of the laws of the village, created well before Naruto was born, states that if a civilian attacks a ninja of their village for any reason, they are responsible for whatever injury occurs to either them or the ninja. In other words, Naruto could harm any civilian that attacks him and receive no punishment for it. The civilian council tried to exclude Naruto for it, but Sarutobi refused, pointing out that it involves ninjas as well, allowing them to vote on that idea (which they all rejected).

Naruto kept his face neutral, but his friends could tell he was disgusted with these villagers. They couldn't blame him; after all they were disgusted too. However, Kurohi was more open in his show of disgust. He simply threw the finger at them as they kept walking, not saying a word. By the time they made it to the tower, the four managed to calm down enough to not snap at someone.

(**page break**)

"And, we're all done." Sarutobi said, handing the three identification cards to the new ninjas. Toshi had stood with his arms at his side, a neutral expression on his face. Sarutobi wanted him to pull his hood down, so the Magnet user had nothing but his headband on his head. Kurohi had his arms crossed and sported a smug smirk on his face for his picture. He was asked to remove his bandanna, and he reluctantly agreed, his black spiky hair exposed. His Konoha headband was tied around his left arm, similar to a certain Nara. Naruto had a smile on his face, a true one, as he stood with a kunai in his hand just under his face in the photo. Sarutobi wanted to have Naruto be serious, but figured the blond deserved some kind of reprieve.

Once the cards were handed out, Sarutobi turned to Ami. "So, you wish to live with Naruto and his friends." He said, locking his fingers in front of his face. "Before I allow this, I have to make sure that you aren't going to try to harm Naruto. I know you are aware of his secret, but I need to know that he is safe."

Ami nodded, staring straight at the Hokage. "Naruto and his friends were the only ones nice to me at the Academy. Honestly, if demons act like that, then we need more demons in the world. Naruto is my friend, and I won't harm him." Sarutobi noticed a determined fire in her eyes as she continued. "I may not be a ninja, but I will do anything I can to protect him if some idiot decides to attack him."

The old Hokage nodded before creating a shadow clone to complete his paperwork while he followed the group to the trio's apartment complex. Again, the group noticed a lesser amount of hateful glares, but they knew it was now because the Hokage was with them. This time, Kurohi and Naruto both threw the finger, much to Sarutobi's chagrin.

(**page break**)

After talking with the landlord, the group quickly packed everything from the trio's old apartment into storage scrolls to move into the four kids' new home. As Toshi guessed, the rent was more overall, but less per person. This showed that the four bedroom apartment was a much better idea than finding Ami a single room.

After setting up the paperwork and Sarutobi left the group, the four kids headed into town to get Ami some clothes and supplies she didn't have at the orphanage. As usual, Naruto, Toshi, and Kurohi henged into random people to avoid being overcharged or thrown out. Luckily, Ami hadn't walked around with the group very often, so the glares were not shown to her. The four first went to a clothing store and the three boys offered to buy Ami whatever she needed.

An hour later, Ami left with a scroll full of clothes that she found. Kurohi started grumbling a bit about spending over 1,000 ryo in that store alone, but the three agreed that it was worth it to make Ami happy. They went into a few more stores, getting some furniture that was not provided in the apartment. After getting everything Ami needed, the group headed back to the apartment to unpack everything and prepare for the future ahead of them.

(**page break**)

The next day, the four headed to the obstacle course to see the progress and set Ami up for her job. In the time since the course was completed, very few managed to advance far. Currently, there were only two people that managed to reach the second stage, albeit barely. The first was Kakashi Hatake. After his time-out on the Warped Wall, he was hounded constantly by his "eternal rival", Might Guy, for the next year and a half. To, as Kakashi put it, "shut him up", the ex-ANBU completed the first stage and hadn't bothered to start the second stage.

Meanwhile, Guy was excited to see his rival youthful enough to complete the first stage, something he was having trouble with. However, his determination to not be outdone by his "hip" rival led to him managing to beat the first stage about a month ago. However, Guy refused to advance to the second stage until he beat Kakashi's time on the first stage. Kurohi liked it because that meant more time could pass before someone finished the course completely, and Kakashi liked it because he didn't need to continue the course for a while. After all, he managed to finish with about thirty seconds left, surprising the trio at the time.

Ami learned first-hand how much paperwork was involved in the management of the course. Unfortunately for her, she didn't have a physical clone jutsu to help her with the massive amount of paperwork. While she wouldn't quit because her friends were her boss, and the pay they agreed to was great for a younger civilian, she wasn't happy with the sheer amount of paperwork involved. When she switched out with another person the trio had hired for night time and got home, her first words to her three friends was a weak "Fuck you guys" before passing out on the couch, not even bothering to go to her room.

(**page break**)

After setting Ami up at the course, the boys headed back into the shopping district. The reason was Naruto. Since Naruto only had shorts and t-shirts, the group had decided the blonde needed a decent outfit. Naruto was unhappy about this, saying his current clothes would be fine. However, Toshi explained that most of his clothes had a fair amount of orange on them, which meant he would stick out like a sore thumb in the field. Grumbling about being betrayed, Naruto followed his friends into a clothes store. Luckily for them, the shopkeeper was one of the few civilians who liked Naruto. At first, the woman was scared of the boy, but eventually saw the kid for who he really was. Plus, Naruto reminded her of her own son, who was also a bit of a prankster.

It took a couple hours, due to the constant arguments between Naruto and his friends about what he should get, but the blonde finally had a respectable outfit on. Naruto walked out wearing a dark gray short-sleeve shirt and black pants. Over his shirt, the blonde had a long-sleeved black jacket that went to just below his ribcage, leaving the gray shirt exposed at his stomach. The jacket was buttoned only at the neckline with one button strap. He also sported black ninja sandals and black gloves with a metal plate on the back of the hand. Despite his friends' suggestions, Naruto kept a little orange in his outfit. The jacket had orange vertical stripes going down the sleeves, as well as having vertical orange stripes on his pant legs. He also had a burnt orange belt around his waist, but was used as an accessory due to him not needing it for his pants. Naruto paid for his clothes and waved goodbye to the shopkeeper, as did Toshi and Kurohi. The trio made sure to get a few extra sets of Naruto's outfit, just in case they were needed.

(**page break**)

Currently, the three boys were sitting in their old classroom, waiting for team assignments to begin. Looking around, they noticed a fair number of their classmates had failed, leaving only about half of their class. As usual, Shikamaru was sleeping away, Choji was eating chips, Sai was drawing, Ino and Sakura were arguing over Sasuke, who looked like he was about ready to kill somebody, Kiba was playing with Akamaru, and Shino and Hinata were sitting quietly.

A moment later, the door opened and Iruka walked in. "Good morning, Genin. Today, you will be given your team assignments. You will find out who your teammates are, as well as your Jonin instructor. Now, these teams were decided by the Hokage himself, so don't complain if you don't like your team. Now, let's begin."

Kurohi and Naruto were ignoring the team calls, waiting for their names to be called. Meanwhile, Toshi was paying attention to who was being teamed up. The first five teams all seemed average at best. While it was a bit pessimistic, Toshi had a feeling they wouldn't be able to handle their duties for long.

"Team six will be Sakura Haruno, Sai…" At this, Sai let out a low, emotionless "Fuck", "…and Sasuke Uchiha." At this, both Sasuke and Sai let out an audible "Fuck!" Iruka ignored this and continued. "Your sensei will be Genma Shiranui." The trio snickered a bit at this. Genma was another Jonin they knew fairly well because he competed on the course often. Genma, while he usually wouldn't show it, hated fan girls and was not a fan of Sasuke Uchiha. They had a feeling Genma was going to be pissed when he got here.

Iruka continued his announcements. "Team seven will be comprised of Toshi Jiryo, Kurohi Yami, and Naruto Uzumaki." The trio smirked and high fived each other, happy that they were all together. "Your sensei will be Kakashi Hatake." The trio smiled again. They had talked with Kakashi before and were happy to learn that he had nothing against Naruto. Not only that, but Kakashi was taught by the Fourth Hokage when he was a Jonin instructor. Toshi and Kurohi felt it was fitting that Naruto be taught by the student of his father.

"Team eight will be Kiba Inuzuka, Hinata Hyuga, and Shino Aburame." The trio noticed Hinata seemed slightly upset, likely over not being with Naruto, but they knew she would fit with her team well. "Your sensei will be Kurenai Yuhi." None of the trio knew Kurenai, so they didn't know how their friends were going to like their sensei.

"Team nine is still in circulation, so we'll move on to team ten. Team ten will be Shikamaru Nara, Choji Akamichi, and Ino Yamanaka." Ino started complaining about being stuck with the two, or as she called them, "lardo" and "the lazy bum". Shikamaru, still with his head down, muttered "Fucking troublesome." Iruka couldn't help but smirk on that one. Shikamaru rarely cursed, and when he did he was really irritated. "Your sensei is Asuma Sarutobi." The trio's eyes widened. They figured the Ino-Shika-Cho team would be done again this generation, but to be taught by the son of the Hokage? They really have a lot going for them now.

"Your senseis will be here soon to pick you up. Once again, congratulations on making it this far. Be proud and make Konoha proud." Iruka walked out of the room, only for a few Jonin to appear and receive their teams. After only a few minutes, only teams 6, 7, 8, and 10 were left. Toshi pulled out a book, knowing Kakashi would take a while. Naruto decided to take a nap while Kurohi pulled out a manga and began to read. He wasn't interested in reading educational stuff as much as Toshi. He preferred reading fiction and manga. Right now, he was reading the adventures of a pirate crew being led by a kid wearing a straw hat. '_Pirates with magical abilities. What will they think of next?_' Kurohi thought, amused.

(**page break**)

After half an hour, only teams 6 and 7 were left in the classroom. Toshi noticed that Sasuke was switching between glaring at him and glaring at his team, specifically his female teammate. Sakura was just complaining about how long it's taking for their instructor to show up. Sai was still drawing, not paying attention to his teammates. At that moment, the door opened and a Jonin wearing a bandanna headband and chewing on a senbon walked in. Toshi could see that Genma was hoping his team wasn't who he thought it was. "Team 6, come with me." Seeing Sasuke, Sakura, and Sai stand up, Genma left the room before the six ninjas heard a loud "Fuck me!"

(**page break**)

Three hours after team assignments, Kakashi finally opened the door and entered. He spent a while at the memorial stone before deciding to head to the academy. While he had been at the building for an hour, he wanted to see how his team would act while waiting so long. He was surprised to see Toshi and Kurohi reading patiently, while Naruto was just sleeping. "Team 7, you're with me. Meet me on the roof." With that, he shunshined to the roof.

Toshi and Kurohi sealed their books up before waking their blond friend. The three walked up to the roof, seeing Kakashi reading an orange book while sitting on the exposed air duct. The three took a seat on the other duct before Kakashi closed his book and addressed them.

"Now, how about we do some introductions. Tell me your name, likes, dislikes, hobbies, and dreams for the future." The Jonin said, looking at his students. Seeing nobody started, he figured they wanted him to start. "Alright, I guess I'll start. My name is Kakashi Hatake. I have a few likes and dislikes, but I'd rather not say what they are. I have many hobbies, and as for my dreams, well I never really thought about it."

The trio knew Kakashi was secretive, but that was ridiculous. Naruto, knowing Kakashi the most, decided to enlighten the other two. "His likes are his Icha Icha series, he dislikes traitors and slackers, his main hobbies are reading Icha Icha in public and visiting the Memorial Stone. His dream is to honor his father, Konoha's White Fang." The blond explained before yawning a little.

Toshi decided to take his turn. He knew a bit about Kakashi's history, but not about his habit of visiting the Memorial. "My name is Toshi Jiryo. I like my friends and reading. I dislike those who mistreat my friends or me. I also dislike those who judge me because I was from Iwa. My hobbies include reading and training. My dreams are to be a good ninja, honor my parents, and if possible, see to it a certain person is dead before I retire or die."

Kurohi sighed before taking his turn. "My name is Kurohi Yami. I like my obstacle course and my friends. I dislike those who mistreat us and those who give me shit for being from Kiri. My hobbies include managing the obstacle course I built and reading manga and fiction. My dream is to become a strong ninja and possibly helping to get rid of Yagura so the civil war in Kiri will end." Naruto and Toshi frowned a bit at this. They knew that Kurohi's parents were killed because they had a bloodline, and Kurohi managed to escape before he was killed as well.

Naruto decided to take his turn and get his mind off its current track. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki. My likes include ramen, my friends, and those who are kind to me. My dislikes are those who can't see the difference between a prison and the prisoner inside as well as traitors. My hobbies include training and hanging out with my friends, and my dream is to become Hokage and show I am not a monster."

Kakashi nodded before looking at his team. '_I think this team might be able to pass the test this time._' The one-eyed ninja eye smiled as he stood up. "Alright, meet me at training ground 7 at 6 a.m. tomorrow. We'll test you there, so you have the rest of today to relax."

Naruto cut in at this point. "What do you mean test? Didn't we already get tested?" Kakashi nodded before pulling his book. "True, but that was just to see if you had what it took to possibly become Genin. Weeding out the lost causes, if you will." The trio wasn't happy to hear Ami be referred to as a "lost cause".

"Watch it, Kakashi-sensei. Our friend didn't pass, but she's not a lost cause." Naruto said, barely holding in his temper. Kakashi held his hand up defensively. "Relax, I only mean that as in unable to handle being a ninja. That's all." Kakashi walked to the ledge and looked back. "By the way, I'd advise against eating before going to the training ground. Otherwise, you'll throw up and I'd rather not make some Genin clean up vomit from the training ground as a D-rank. '_Kami knows I hated when I had to do that._' See you tomorrow." Kakashi said before using a shunshin to disappear, leaving his team on the roof to consider what to expect tomorrow.

**Demon: Phew. Chapter 9, complete.**

**Lexboss: Things are finally picking up.**

**GoodWriter: Yeah, finally. It only took 9 chapters.**

**Demon: Look, it's called set up. I've seen some stories where everything was just skipped and their story was horribly rushed. It ruined the experience for me.**

**Lexboss: Fair enough.**

**GoodWriter: Alright, then.**

**Demon: Good. Remember everyone, read and review!**

**Lexboss: No flames!**

**(unknown location)**

**(Creeper is standing in a small room with a wall in front of him)**

**Creeper: What's going on here?**

**(An intercom comes on)**

**Voice: Do not worry. This is to help you relieve your anxiety and solve your problem.**

**(Creeper hears a clang before finding a sword drop on the ground from a latch)**

**Creeper: What's with this?**

**Voice: You'll find out now. Enjoy yourself!**

**(The wall rises to the ceiling, revealing 100 clones of GoodWriter)**

**Clones: What the hell?**

**Creeper: Awesome! BANZAIIII!**


	10. Chapter 10 The Bell Test

**Demon: Welcome back to the Orphan Trio.**

**GoodWriter: So, what's the agenda for today?**

**Demon: The infamous bell test.**

**Lexboss: Well, considering who's doing it, I think it'll go well.**

**Demon: We'll see. **

**GoodWriter: What about Creeper?**

**Demon: He should be back any time now.**

**(Creeper walks in, covered in blood)**

**Creeper: Yo!**

**Lexboss: Creeper, what the hell?!**

**Demon: And, let's get to the story!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto in any way. Nor do I own Ninja Warrior/Sasuke in any way.**

"Talking" – _Thinking_ – **Demon/Summoning Speaking/Jutsu **– _**Demon/Summon Thinking**_

The Orphan Trio, Chapter 10: The Bell Test

The newly named Team 7 was sitting quietly in the training ground the next day, waiting for their sensei. Currently, Toshi was reading a history book about Konoha, while Kurohi was reading his manga again. Naruto was switching between doing warm-up exercises and reading Kurohi's manga behind his shoulders.

The trio was pretty confident that Kakashi would be late to the test by a fair margin, so they made sure to arrive at the training ground at 7 a.m., rather than 6 a.m. like Kakashi commanded. Due to their assumption, they all ate a small breakfast, figuring they'd have time to digest it and be okay during the test.

As they had guessed, Kakashi was nowhere to be seen when they arrived. They spent most of the time doing what they were doing now. The time was about eight-thirty.

"You know, considering he's a skeleton, I'm surprised women don't knock his head off every time he asks to see their panties." Naruto said, amused by the comic. Kurohi chuckled before changing the page. "Yeah, but he's a gentleman about it. I figure that has to have some kind of merit to it." The Dark user replied.

Naruto snickered as he continued reading the panels. "I don't know. I mean, if he asked Sakura, she'd probably rip his skull off and shove it up his bony ass." The blonde said, going around and sitting next to Kurohi. The Kiri native snickered as well, reading the comic. "Honestly, I doubt he'd stoop so low as to ask her. I think either result of the question would be suicide."

Naruto chuckled. "Good point. I think anyone who saw Sakura's underwear would probably kill themselves." As soon as this was uttered, the training ground became deathly quiet. The trio's faces slightly turned green at the thought of Sakura's underwear. Toshi managed to shake off some of the nausea and turned to his teammates. "Can we change the subject before one of us vomits?" Nodding quickly, the group began discussing the course and how things have fared so far.

(**page break**)

Hiruzen Sarutobi was in his office, signing the papers that were stacked on his desk. In front of him was Iruka Umino. Iruka had arrived to discuss the team placements. Rather, he had a question based on the assignments of the teams.

"Lord Hokage, I was looking over the team assignments as well as the students' grades. I noticed you didn't make the balance team. That has happened with every previous graduating class, so I'm curious why you didn't this year?" The teacher asked politely. Sarutobi sighed before placing his pen down.

The Hokage knew what Iruka was getting at. The "Balance Team" was a team that was comprised of the Rookie of the Year, the Top Kunoichi, and the "Dead Last" student. The idea behind it was to allow the two top students to get experience with leading by helping the worst student, while the "dead last" would need to improve in order to not become a hindrance for the team.

"Well Iruka, there are two reasons I did not create the 'Balance Team' this time. The first is the Rookie of the Year and the Top Kunoichi would definitely not get along with the 'dead last'. After all, they are Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno. They wouldn't work with any of the 'dead last' students due to Sakura's fan-girl attitude towards Sasuke and Sasuke's superiority complex.

"The second reason is because the three tied for 'dead last' were Toshi Jiryo, Kurohi Yami, and Naruto Uzumaki. Of course, they really don't hold that position, or any position near it." Sarutobi said, giving a harsh glare at the instructor. Iruka may have gotten over his previous beliefs about the trio, but he still sabotaged their grades for four years. If that hadn't been the case, Sarutobi was sure they would beat Sasuke and tie for the position of Rookie of the Year.

Iruka bowed his head in shame at the Hokage's glare and the implied meaning of the last statement. He knew that what he did was wrong. Naruto, Toshi, and Yami may have forgiven him after the exam, but Iruka still hated himself for allowing his anger get the best of him. He nearly ruined the careers of three great students all because he and Mezuki held a grudge against the Kyuubi.

"So, since the three didn't rightfully deserve the title of 'dead last', I decided to forgo the 'balance team' this time around. Besides, the three of them already are able to work together well enough. Separating them to work with teams who likely wouldn't work with them would be a pointless waste." Sarutobi explained, lightening his glare slightly. He didn't like being harsh on Iruka, especially since the trio already forgave him, but he needed to get his point across.

Iruka nodded in understanding, still a little ashamed. "I understand, Lord Hokage. Again, I apologize for my previous actions. Thank you for answering my questions." The teacher said before walking out of the door.

After the instructor left, Sarutobi sighed and resumed his work. '_Iruka, you are lucky Naruto and his friends aren't vengeful. If they hadn't asked me to not punish you, I'd easily make your life hell. Prove to me that you really have changed._' The old man thought as he signed a paper.

(**page break**)

Kakashi walked into the field promptly at 9 a.m., surprised to not get any reaction about him being late. He noticed Naruto and Kurohi reading the Dark user's manga, while Toshi was reading one of Konoha's intermediate level history books. Clearing his throat, Kakashi got the attention of his possible students. The two ex-travelers put away their books before all three Genin stood up.

Kakashi eye-smiled at his students. "Sorry I was late. I was walking here when I got lost on the road of life." The white-haired Jonin said in a bored tone. Naruto and Toshi rolled their eyes, expecting one of the Jonin's typical excuses. Kurohi, however, smirked before shrugging.

"Come on, Kakashi-sensei. You don't have to give us a stupid excuse. If you had to take a shit, just say so. We'd understand that." Kakashi wasn't fazed by the Dark user's response. "I see, so we have a smartass here." The Jonin replied. Toshi didn't miss a beat. "Well, they say it's better to be a smartass than a dumbass, right sensei?" Naruto snickered at his friends' witty remarks.

Deciding to get to the main point, Kakashi sighed. "I guess so. Now, let's get to the test so I can go home. I do have things to do, after all." At this, Kakashi pulled out two silver bells on strings, jingling them slightly to direct the Genins' attention to them. "Your test is to get these bells from me. You will have from now until noon." Pulling a timer from his flak jacket, Kakashi set the timer to noon and placed it on a stump.

"Uh, Kakashi-sensei, there are only two bells." Naruto pointed out, Toshi and Kurohi nodding in agreement to the statement. Kakashi eye-smiled at his student. "Exactly, Naruto. You see, if you do not get a bell, you will be tied to the stump and forced to skip lunch while those who got a bell will eat. Also, whoever fails to get a bell will be sent back to the Academy for another year." At this, Naruto got a nervous look, Kurohi got a determined look, and Toshi adopted a thinking look. Kakashi noticed each student's looks before speaking again.

"One more thing. You will need to come at me with the intent to kill. If you hold back, you will not be able to get a bell from me. You have about three hours. Begin!"

At the announcement of the start, the trio jumped in different directions, hiding in the woods. '_Well, at least they can hide well enough_.' Kakashi thought as he spotted where each of the three were. Kakashi slowly walked in the direction away from the three, waiting for one of them to make a move.

(**page break**)

Toshi ran towards his teammates, still thinking about the point of the test. It wasn't long before he found Kurohi hiding in a tree. Quietly, Toshi signaled to his friend to follow him to find their friend. Nodding, the Dark user followed Toshi, finding Naruto within moments. As soon as they were together, they started discussing the test.

"Ok, so what do you guys think about this test?" Naruto asked, darting his eyes around, watching for a possible attack. Toshi quickly responded to the blonde's question. "I think there's a hidden point to this test. There are only two bells, but three of us." Kurohi nodded before looking around. "Something about this 'sent back to the Academy' thing doesn't seem right. If one of us went back, there'd only be two of us for the team. I don't remember there being two-man teams unless one of the team is killed in action." The Dark user stated, causing Toshi's eyes to light up.

"That's right. I read about that in my Konoha book. One of the previous Hokage set up the teams as three-person groups to make sure there was safety for the group." The Magnet user said, recalling his book. Naruto snapped his fingers. "That means there's some way for all of us to pass. Kakashi-sensei wouldn't change the team dynamic set by the Hokage unless it was forced out of his hand."

Toshi's eyes suddenly lit up at Naruto's statement. "That's it. He's not changing the team dynamic, he's testing it. With only two bells, he's testing us to see if we'd fight each other to get a bell for ourselves. But, if we work together…"

"…Then we're working as a team to succeed. That's it!" Kurohi finished, having understood what they were getting at. "So, if we work together to get the bells, we'll pass for sure." Naruto and Toshi nodded before the trio huddled, thinking of ideas on how to get the bells.

(**page break**)

Kakashi was standing in a clearing, bored out of his mind. Twenty minutes passed without any sign of action from the Genin, and the Jonin was starting to wonder if they were trying to bore him to death. Just as he started to reach for his pouch to retrieve his book, he caught some rustling from a nearby bush. '_It's about time_.' Kakashi thought as he grabbed his book.

Toshi burst from the bushes, a calculating look on his face as he fell into a fighting stance. Kakashi opened his book, not bothering to take a stance. '_This is interesting. I expected Naruto to come out first. Oh well_.' The white-haired ninja thought as he started to read. "Lesson one, Taijutsu."

Toshi ran towards Kakashi, bringing a fist back. The Jonin easily dodged the attack before turning a page. The Genin struck again and again, missing the Jonin each time. Toshi knew that he wouldn't have much of a chance if Kakashi kept moving around, so he stopped and focused on where the Jonin was approaching.

Suddenly, Kakashi froze, unable to move any further. Surprised, he looked down to see some gray material wrapped around his foot. Looking back at the Genin, he saw Toshi smirk triumphantly. "What's this?" The Jonin asked, curious.

Toshi's smirk grew. "That is iron. My clan's abilities may have branched off the typical Magnet Style Kekkei-Genkai, but we did retain the ability to control iron particles. So, I used the iron in the ground to trap your foot. Now you're right where I want you!" Toshi explained before rushing the older ninja again. However, instead of jumping or running to evade the boy's attacks like last time, Kakashi started blocking the Genin's strikes.

"Good tactic, but this still allows your opponent to defend himself. You'll have to do better than that." Grabbing the Genin's fist with his free hand, Kakashi closed his book and slammed it into Toshi's gut, knocking the wind out of the boy. The iron around Kakashi's foot disappeared back into the ground as Toshi exploded in a blast of lightning, stunning the Jonin for a brief moment.

'_Interesting. I didn't realize he could use an elemental clone jutsu. And a lightning one at that._' The Jonin thought as he walked into the woods, looking for the Genin.

(**page break**)

Toshi winced as the memories of his clone's fight with Kakashi entered his mind. Kurohi and Naruto noticed their friend's wince. "Is everything alright?" Naruto asked, getting a nod from Toshi. "Yeah, but my clone just lost the fight. However, I got some intel on his style. At least for us, he's underestimating our abilities. That gives us an edge." The Magnet user explained. Naruto nodded before crossing his fingers. "My turn."

(**page break**)

Kakashi was standing on a stump, still reading his book, when Naruto burst from the woods. More specifically, five Narutos ran out of the woods. Kakashi's eye widened slightly before returning to normal. '_So, he knows a physical clone jutsu, too. With the number of them, I'm guessing Shadow Clones_.' Jumping off the stump, Kakashi stored away his book before facing the five Narutos.

"Lesson two…" Kakashi didn't get a chance to finish as the five blondes bum rushed the Jonin. The one-eyed ninja easily dodged each punch and kick, noticing the clones were trying to grab at his bells when one was attacking. Kakashi elbowed one clone in the face, dispelling it and jumped through where it was, getting away from the circle of clones. The Jonin threw a couple hand signs before staring at the clones.

Seconds later, the Naruto clones began fighting each other; each convinced their fellow clones were Kakashi. Quickly, three of the four blondes dispelled, leaving only one blonde. Kakashi started walking up to the last clone, dispelling the illusion on it just long enough for it to hear Kakashi finish his statement. "…Genjutsu." The clone was dispelled a second later by a strong kick.

(**page break**)

Naruto shook his head, embarrassed a bit by the fight. "Dammit, I really need to learn how to break out of Genjutsu. My clones got stomped right there." The blonde said, dropping his head. Toshi patted the blonde's shoulder. "Keep in mind, you're a jinchuuriki. They tend to have difficulty with Genjutsu due to their high chakra and lower than average control. Don't worry too much about it. You'll get that handled soon enough."

Kurohi took a deep breath before grinning. "Now, it's my turn." The Dark user said excitedly.

(**page break**)

Kakashi waited for the next Genin to show up, honestly surprised and impressed with the group so far. True, they were fighting alone, but their individual skills were somewhat surprising for green Genin. Hearing a slight rustle, Kakashi didn't even bother to turn around.

"Lesson three…Ninjutsu." Kakashi jumped as Kurohi flew out of the woods, a determined look in his eyes. "I'm getting one of those bells, Kakashi-sensei." The Dark user said confidently. Before Kakashi could respond, Kurohi threw a couple hand signs before holding his hand out. A ball of dark energy formed as Kurohi threw it. "Catch! **Dark Style: Dark Ball Jutsu**!" The Genin threw the ball at the Jonin, who managed to dodge it with little trouble.

However, Kakashi didn't have much time to rest as more Dark Balls were fired from Kurohi's palms. The Jonin dodged some of the projectiles, but had to deflect a few as well. However, none of them managed to successfully hit Kakashi, though he did notice the ones that hit the trees nearby damaged them quite a bit. '_That has some power behind it. Well, I did say to go all out_.' Kakashi thought as Kurohi lowered his hands, panting slightly.

Kakashi eye-smiled before throwing some hand signs together. "I have to admit I'm impressed. That was a strong attack, but now watch mine. **Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu**!" A large ball of flames rushed towards Kurohi, who was still panting. However, the panting boy suddenly smirked before holding out his left hand. "Gotcha!** Dark Style: Intake**!"

To Kakashi's surprise, the fireball slammed into Kurohi's hand, slowly shrinking in size. In only a few seconds, the attack disappeared, and Kurohi smirked, looking fully refreshed. "What was that?!" The Jonin asked, confused.

Kurohi smirked as he pulled off his glove, revealing a double-diamond mark. "My clan's Kekkei-Genkai originally came from the Dark Kekkei-Genkai. So, while my clan's abilities differ somewhat, we still have the basic abilities of the original. That was one of the two abilities of the original Dark Kekkei-Genkai. It allows the user to absorb chakra-based attacks into their palm, converting it into pure chakra for the individual to use. I can either keep the chakra to replenish what I used of my own reserves…"

Kurohi paused as he pulled his right glove off, revealing another double-diamond mark on his palm. "…Or, I can launch the attack right back at the person who fired it, like this. **Dark Style: Output**!" Kakashi watched in shock as the double-diamond mark glowed before a large fireball launched out of Kurohi's hand, heading straight for him. The Jonin barely managed to dodge the attack before it slammed into the ground, creating a good sized crater where the ninja was once standing. Kurohi quickly replaced his gloves before running at the stunned Jonin.

Kakashi managed to get over his shock in time to see Kurohi rushing him. The Jonin managed to punch Kurohi, stopping him in his tracks. However, he hadn't expected Kurohi to explode into a large cloud of darkness.

(**page break**)

"Dammit, I almost had him!" Kurohi cursed. He was sure his Intake/Output combo would take the Jonin down long enough to grab the bells. Toshi sighed before speaking to his teammates. "I think we have enough information on Kakashi-sensei to get him distracted. We should be able to get the bells if we do this right. But, we need to hurry, we only have a short time left." Nodding, the three headed towards a large clearing, the same clearing Kakashi was walking to.

(**page break**)

Kakashi could honestly admit that for the first time, he was somewhat surprised about his team's abilities. Each could use a physical clone, and all three had an interesting battle style. He noticed that of the three, Naruto was the least skilled, but figured that was because he hadn't had anyone to help him aside from his two friends. Kakashi was confident that if the trio worked together, they'd be nearly unstoppable…at least against someone of their level, maybe a bit higher.

As the Jonin stopped in the center of the clearing, he saw four Narutos appear out of the trees. "This again, Naruto? Even for a Genin, I'm surprised and disappointed you aren't changing your tactic." One clone simply smirked and threw the finger at the one-eyed ninja, getting the man's visible eye to twitch.

"**Earth Style: Labyrinth Wall Jutsu**!" Kakashi's eyes widened as the ground started shaking, followed by a number of large rock walls shooting from the ground, blocking his view of the clones. Once the shaking stopped, Kakashi noticed he was surrounded on three sides by the walls. Seeing the walls were stopped at a jumpable height, and the walls did not have a ceiling, Kakashi chuckled slightly.

"Valiant effort, but it won't be enough to trap me." Kakashi called out as he jumped, expecting to clear the walls easily. However, he hadn't expected to slam his head on an invisible roof barrier. Kakashi landed on his ass hard, rubbing his head in pain. Once his head pain subsided, he realized the idea. He wasn't to get out through the top. The Jonin tried to go into the ground with his Hidden Mole jutsu, but that wouldn't happen, either. Finally, Kakashi felt the walls, thinking he could break through them. However, he felt the walls had chakra in them.

'_I see. So, this is to prevent anyone trapped in it from escaping through the easy routes. Preventing people from cheating, so to speak_.' Kakashi thought as he looked through the path available. '_Well, he did call out "Labyrinth Wall", so I'm assuming this is a labyrinth, which means, there's only one way in, one way out. So by trapping someone in the center of the labyrinth, they are forcing them to walk the entire path to escape. Not much use in combat, but a great way to distract an opponent or buy time. Clever._' The Jonin, understanding the concept, had no choice but to start walking the path, figuring there won't be any wrong turns to deal with. This is a labyrinth, after all, not a maze.

(**page brea**k)

"Part one is complete." Toshi said, wiping his brow of some sweat. It may not show much, but that jutsu takes a fair amount of chakra to use. Kurohi nodded as he walked to a wall near the exit/entrance. "Good thinking putting Naruto's clones in the labyrinth right off the bat, Toshi. This will have them transformed and ready for when Kakashi-sensei finds them." The Dark user commented, throwing a couple hand signs and placing his palm on the wall. "Alright, part two is a go. **Dark Style: Labyrinth's Shadow**!"

(**page break**)

Kakashi was about a quarter of the way out, he estimated, before he came across something. He was slightly disturbed to see a creepy looking man in an odd outfit, the crotch bulging. Kakashi walked up to the creepy man, a bored expression now on his face, or rather, his eye. The creepy man spoke in a weird tone. "You remind me of the babe. The babe with the…" The man couldn't finish as Kakashi punched him square in the face, making him disappear in a plume of smoke. "I never really did like that movie." Kakashi said lazily as he continued walking through the labyrinth.

(**page break**)

Naruto shook his head slightly as the memories came to him. "Alright, Kakashi-sensei's past the first clone. By the way, Kurohi, you really are fucked up in the head with that guy." Kurohi shrugged simply. "Hey, Labyrinth disturbed me, so I figured it'd work. It did with the civilians." Toshi and Naruto shook their heads before getting serious again.

(**page break**)

Kakashi could tell he was making good progress on the labyrinth. He figured he'd only have another ten minutes until he was out. As he turned a corner, he saw a knight, clad in pitch-black armor, standing in the center of the path. The knight pulled a sword and held it threateningly at the Jonin.

"You are entering restricted space, ninja. You must either give me those two bells as a toll, or fight me for the right to advance. Your choice." The knight said in a deep tone, his words echoing slightly due to the helmet covering his face. Kakashi pretended to think for a moment before he threw a kunai at the knight. However, the kunai bounced off the armor, making the knight laugh.

"I see you made your choice then, ninja. Prepare to taste my sword!" The knight walked forward, raising his hand to swing the sword down on the Jonin.

(**page break**)

A few minutes passed on the outside of the labyrinth before Naruto started shouting in surprise, grabbing his ass. Kurohi turned to the blonde and asked what was wrong. Naruto released his behind before shouting. "Kakashi-sensei is a sick man!" Toshi was surprised by Naruto's outburst. "What do you mean?" The Magnet user asked. Naruto shook his fist in the air before sitting back down. "Kakashi-sensei ran into the Dark Knight you created Kurohi, and you don't want to know what he did with the Knight's sword."

Kurohi and Toshi had a feeling, based on Naruto's actions a moment ago, but decided it was best not to know for sure.

(**page break**)

Kakashi was walking near the end of the labyrinth, a mix of anger and embarrassment visible in his eye. He was angry because that knight not only nearly got the bells from him, but that sword sliced into his pouch and almost touched his precious book. Seeing the book unharmed but the pouch cut open, Kakashi lost his temper briefly and managed to take the sword from the knight.

What happened next could arguably be considered a crime against humanity as Kakashi used the sword in an extra-painful version of his "1000 years of Death" technique. Unsurprisingly, even the knight's armor was no match against a large sword and the wrath of a vengeful Kakashi Hatake. Immediately upon the knight dispelling, the Jonin realized what he had done and was feeling embarrassed for it.

Seeing the end of the labyrinth, Kakashi sighed in relief as he rushed to the end. He made it out safely, seeing the trio standing nearby. As the walls started to drop into the earth, Kakashi walked towards his students. "Well, you three gave it a great effort and your labyrinth trap was clever, but you haven't managed to get the bells yet. Unfortunately for you, there's only a couple minutes left, and I don't think you'll be able to get them now." The white-haired Jonin said, patting the two bells on his belt.

"Guy-sensei!" A loud voice called excitedly, causing Kakashi's eye to widen. '_No, it can't be_.' He thought, worried.

"Lee!" A louder, deeper voice called in return, causing Kakashi's eye to widen more. '_No, it just can't be!_' Steeling himself, the Jonin turned around and came face to face with the most horrific sight he could imagine.

Might Guy and Rock Lee were currently embracing in a manly hug under a deep orange sunset. Kakashi's eye blanked out as he was trapped against his will in the Genjutsu.

Ah, the Sunset of Youth Genjutsu. The trio had the misfortune of witnessing it firsthand not long ago. It had happened when Might Guy managed to complete the first stage of the course and Lee made it to the Warped Wall. The two were so excited they embraced, inadvertently casting the Genjutsu. It is one of the few that cannot be broken by anyone trapped in it, no matter how many times people tried.

The trio snickered, avoiding the Genjutsu. "I'm surprised Kakashi-sensei didn't notice that he only fought two entities, but there were four clones when the jutsu started." Naruto chuckled as he reached over and easily grabbed the two bells from Kakashi's waist. With the bounty in hand, Naruto dispelled his last two clones, grimacing at the memory but knowing it was worth it.

A few seconds later, Kakashi's eye returned to normal, signaling he finally was out of the horrible Genjutsu. Looking over, he saw Naruto holding the bells in his hand. "W…well done, you three. You managed to get the bells in time. You used a very dirty trick to get them, but that's the life of a ninja." Kakashi's eye narrowed at Naruto. "So, Naruto, this is the difficult part. Who do you give the other bell to?"

Naruto shrugged before throwing the bells back at the Jonin. "I choose not to choose. If you're going to fail one of us, you will have to fail all three of us. We're a team, and we were a team long before we graduated. To turn against one another now would be unforgivable." The blonde explained, standing in-between his friends.

Kakashi eye-smiled as he pulled a third bell from his pocket, throwing one to each of the Genin. "Congratulations, you passed. I am guessing you figured it out earlier, but the main goal of the test is teamwork. While individual skills are important, not every task can be accomplished alone. Those who abandon the mission they are assigned to are trash, but those who abandon their comrades to complete the mission are worse than trash. Keep those bells as a reminder of that, and know that you are the first team I have had that actually got the idea."

Kakashi started walking away before stopping and turning his head to the trio. "You have tomorrow off, but be back here in two days at 7 a.m. We will begin our training then. Later." Kakashi shunshined away, leaving the trio tired but happy to have passed the test.

**Demon: Ok, chapter 10 is done.**

**GoodWriter: That was fairly interesting.**

**Creeper: The bell test chapters usually are interesting.**

**Demon: True. By the way, how do you feel, Creeper?**

**Creeper: Much better. Thanks.**

**Lexboss: What happened to you?**

**Creeper: I had a hell of a day, Lexboss. I sank all of their battleships… and their whales.**

**Lexboss: …**

**GoodWriter: …**

**Demon: I'll give props to whoever got that reference.**

**Lexboss: So, what exactly happened?**

**Demon: I made 100 clones of GoodWriter and let Creeper go wild. **

**GoodWriter: You did WHAT!**

**Demon: Relax, man. He calmed down and you didn't get hurt. Everyone wins.**

**Creeper: Except those poor scientists. They had to clean up a hell of a mess.**

**Demon: I'm sure. Anyway, read and review!**

**Creeper: No flames! **

New Jutsu Introduced

Magnet: Iron Control: Not really a jutsu, but more of an ability. The user can control iron particles in the ground to use as they please. The more the user trains this ability, the more uses the iron can have. Similar to the Iron Sand, Gold Dust, and Sand control of Suna and Gaara.

Dark: Dark Ball: The user creates and fires a volley of balls made of Dark chakra (similar to Shadow Ball from Pokémon) from his or her palms to attack opponents. (Rank C)

Dark: Intake: The user absorbs a chakra-based attack through their palm, which can be either converted into chakra to restore the user's reserves or launched back at the opponent. The amount of chakra that can be absorbed safely depends on the user's skill with the ability. (Rank C)

Dark: Output: The user launches a chakra-based attack previously absorbed through use of Dark: Intake through the opposite palm, or same palm if user has one hand. The strength of the attack is based on the strength of the attack absorbed. The attack will fail if a move was not absorbed by Intake. In addition, the user can restore some chakra from the absorbed attack and release the rest as the attack. (Rank C)


	11. Chapter 11 First C-Rank

**Demon: Welcome back to the Orphan Trio.**

**GoodWriter: I wonder what's going to happen now.**

**Creeper: If I had to guess, either a bunch of stupid chores for a chapter, or we go straight into the Wave mission.**

**Demon: Well, you're partially right. **

**Lexboss: By the way, Creeper. Are you feeling alright?**

**Creeper: Never better. I guess a little murder spree was all I needed.**

**Demon: Well, just in case you go apeshit again, I have vials of our blood on standby.**

**Lexboss: How'd you get my blood?**

**Demon: I took some when you were sleeping.**

**GoodWriter: Demon, that's pretty fucked up, even for you.**

**Demon: Look, I'm trying to keep us all from dying by a homicidal nut… no offense, Creeper.**

**Creeper: None taken.**

**Demon: So, would you rather I take some blood to save you later, or let you get splattered over the wall?**

**Lexboss: Fair enough.**

**GoodWriter: True.**

**Creeper: Can we get to the story?**

**Demon: Right. Enjoy the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto in any way. Nor do I own Ninja Warrior/Sasuke in any way.**

"Talking" – _Thinking_ – **Demon/Summoning Speaking/Jutsu **– _**Demon/Summon Thinking**_

The Orphan Trio, Chapter 11: First C-Rank

Two days later, team 7 was relaxing on a stump in training ground 7, waiting patiently for their ever-tardy sensei. As they guessed, Kakashi would show up about 3 hours late, so the trio arrived at 9:30, giving them a half-hour wait until the Jonin arrived. Toshi was still reading his Konoha history book, while Kurohi and Naruto were reading the next chapter of the Dark user's manga.

Around 10 a.m., Kakashi walked into the training ground, surprisingly not reading his porn book. The trio put away their reading materials, wondering which excuse their sensei would use this time.

"Sorry I'm late, team. I had to stop over and pick some things up." The Jonin stated, reaching into his flak jacket's pocket. Not giving the trio time to make a remark, Kakashi pulled out four strips of white paper, handing one to each of the trio and keeping one himself. The trio looked at their papers in confusion, not knowing what this was about.

Kakashi cleared his throat, getting the Genins' attention. "Normally, I wouldn't do this with fresh Genin, but you three surprised me somewhat during the test. So, today I'm going to test your affinity." Naruto was confused and looked at Kakashi. "What do you mean affinity, Kakashi-sensei?"

Toshi spoke up, answering Naruto's question. "Our affinity is the element or elements we are strongly associated with biologically. Basically, it's the element you are strongest with." Kakashi nodded in agreement. "Very good, Toshi. Now, we will test your affinity with the paper." Seeing they were about to ask, the Jonin decided to explain.

"The paper in your hand is known as chakra paper. It is made from trees grown using chakra. With it, you can determine what elements you have. Observe." To the Genins' surprise, Kakashi's paper crinkled greatly. Kakashi explained. "See, my paper crinkled. This means my affinity is Lightning. The five elements and their reactions are as follows:

"Lightning will cause the paper to crinkle. Water will cause the paper to become wet, Wind splits the paper in half, Fire causes the paper to burn into ashes, and Earth makes the paper crumble to dust. All you have to do is pump a little chakra into the paper, and you'll get your result. Toshi, you're first."

Toshi held up his paper and put some chakra into it. A second later, half of the paper crumbled away while the other half crinkled. Then, the dust flew to the crinkled paper and stuck to the paper. Kakashi wasn't very surprised, nor was Toshi. "As I had guessed, you have a primary affinity for Earth and a slightly weaker affinity to Lightning. The fact the dust attached to the crinkled paper shows the Magnet element as well, as the paper attracted the dust to it." Toshi nodded in understanding before Kurohi held his up.

Kurohi's paper turned a pitch black before burning away. Kakashi eye-smiled at the paper's reaction. "So, clearly you have a Fire affinity, as well as your Dark Kekkei-Genkai. I wasn't sure how the paper would react to that element, though. Very interesting." The Jonin said before turning to Naruto. "Alright, Naruto, your turn."

Naruto put a little chakra into his paper, not knowing what his element would be. To the surprise of everyone, Naruto's paper split in half, and then a small corner of one side burned, but just barely. Naruto was surprised he had two elements, even if one was weak. Kakashi was mostly surprised because Wind is a rare element in Konoha. Moreover, his father had Lightning and his mother had Water.

"Well, this is interesting. Naruto, you surprise me again. Wind is very rare in Konoha. The Fire element is fairly common in the Land of Fire, but I think the reason yours is so weak is because it's from your 'tenant'." Kakashi said, cupping his chin in thought.

"I didn't realize the Kyuubi could affect Naruto's chakra like that." Kurohi said, surprised. Toshi nodded in agreement. Kakashi decided to get things back on track. "Well, either way, Naruto has a small Fire affinity. In some ways, this helps a lot." Getting a confused look from the three, Kakashi mentally sighed. '_We're getting back off track. Oh well_.' He thought before responding.

"You see, while people have their own affinity, that does not mean they cannot learn jutsus of other elements. For example, I have my Lightning affinity, but I used a Fireball jutsu on Kurohi during the test. However, there's a little difficulty with this. Using a jutsu of an element other than that of your affinity is more chakra-consuming.

"But, Naruto has a bit of an edge here because he has a small affinity to Fire. Essentially, since he has the affinity, it is a little easier to learn Fire jutsus for him, and the jutsus will not be as chakra-consuming as other elements. However, due to his weak affinity to Fire, it will be a bit more chakra-consuming than his Wind jutsus."

Deciding to finally get things going, Kakashi turned around. "We'll continue discussing this later on. For now, we should go get a mission assignment. Our days will begin with two D-Rank missions, followed by a few hours of training. Once we get things going, we'll move to three D-Ranks each day. So, let's head to the mission hall." The Jonin said while walking off, the trio following him.

(**page break**)

The next three months passed, and as Kakashi had said, the team would go every day doing two D-Ranks followed by three to four hours of training. After their daily assignments, the trio would check on the course and handle some of the day to day business. They had Sundays off, and used those days to relax.

The training wasn't much of a difficulty for them. Kakashi started by teaching them how to stick leaves to themselves with chakra. This was a basic chakra control exercise. The trio wanted to learn how to control their chakra better, Kurohi and Toshi so they don't waste chakra when using jutsus, and Naruto mainly so he can at least learn to break out of Genjutsu.

In addition, Kakashi had gone to the Shinobi Archives and pulled scrolls containing jutsus for each of his students. He found Toshi a D-Rank Lightning jutsu that could help him with Taijutsu and Kurohi the Fireball jutsu. However, the one-eyed Jonin had more trouble in finding a suitable Wind jutsu for Naruto. Like he said, Wind was rare in Konoha. As a result, there were few jutsu scrolls of the Wind element, and almost all of them were more theory than actual techniques. Since Kakashi knew only a couple Wind jutsu, he decided to write the information on one he knew into a scroll and give that to the blonde. In addition, Naruto decided to learn the Fireball jutsu to make use of his Fire affinity.

Unsurprisingly, the trio took to the jutsus with gusto. Every day, the Genin would practice their jutsu after handling the work with the course. Kakashi expected Naruto to get the jutsus down easily with the help of his Shadow Clones, but Naruto refused to use them. The blonde explained that while he knew he could easily learn the jutsu in record time using his clones, he wanted to prove himself by learning the jutsu on his own. Likewise, he agreed to use the clones for jutsu that would be extremely difficult to learn, but only if he had to.

However, Naruto proved himself by learning the jutsu in only two weeks, with Kurohi and Toshi learning their jutsus a week later. While their uses were a bit rough, their Jonin sensei explained that it just took practice to perfect the jutsu, and that they made excellent progress with them. So, needless to say training wasn't too difficult.

Kakashi also made it a point to teach the three Tree Walking. He thought that with the two travelers having some previous training that they'd know it, but he figured a refresher course couldn't hurt. He also knew Naruto was unable to do the exercise. As he expected, Kurohi and Toshi knew the technique very well, but Naruto had no idea that was possible. Naruto managed to walk on the tree after only a few days of attempts, but he wasn't able to master combat on the tree for about a month.

With that out of the way, the Jonin decided to teach them Water Walking. Unsurprisingly, Kurohi knew how to do it since he lived in Kiri. However, Toshi and Naruto had no skill with it at first. Unlike the Tree Walking, it took Naruto and Toshi a month and a half mastering the skill. Kakashi was very proud that his Genin each knew the two techniques as well as learning a new jutsu each in under three months. Likewise, the Genin were proud to learn what they did in such a short time.

The part that sucked was the missions. At first, the three Genin did the D-Ranks with no complaint, seeing as how they did more physical work in the past while working on the course. However, it wasn't long before team 7 started noticing the glares directed at Naruto during some of the missions.

Whether it was painting some old guy's fence or pulling weeds for a lazy woman, the clients would always glare at Naruto, occasionally making some rude remark. What pissed them off was the fact they would never call him "demon" to their face. After all, if they did that, they could execute the person for violating the law. However, the civilians were stupid, but not that stupid.

In one particularly infuriating incident, the team started leaving after painting some guy's fence, only to hear grunting noises, causing them to turn around. To their anger, the civilian started ripping out the fence boards Naruto painted, as if the "demon" contaminated them and it would spread to their property. Kakashi had to literally hold Kurohi back from going over there and shoving one of those boards up the man's ass.

However, there was one mission that the trio hated more than the ignorant civilians. Time after time, they'd have to perform this mission, and each time they had to refrain from killing the target. Even Kakashi had his moments, remembering the Hell he went through as a Genin dealing with the same mission.

(**page break**)

"Why can't we just kill this damn thing and say it got run over?" Kurohi complained, carrying a medium-sized cage at arm's length. Inside the cage was their usual target, a cat with a pink bow tied to its ear. The cat was trying to claw at Kurohi, hissing all the while. This cat was named Tora, and it was the pet of the Land of Fire's Daimyo, or Feudal Lord. More specifically, it was the pet of the Daimyo's wife. However, to the Genin of Konoha, the cat was known as Satan's Spawn.

"Like I said the last five times, Kurohi, we cannot kill the cat because it would mean we failed the Daimyo's wife. And if that happened, Konoha could lose favor with the Daimyo and receive fewer missions as a result." Kakashi said, unhappy that what he said was true. Seeing the unhappy and, in the case of Kurohi (who had been the one to grab Tora), scratched faces of his team, the Jonin decided to tell a story about his time dealing with the cat as a Genin.

"You know, this isn't the same Tora that I had to deal with when I was a Genin." Toshi sighed before looking at his sensei. "I honestly would hope so, sensei. You told us before about how you became a Genin at a really young age, and now you're somewhere in your twenties. Furthermore, house cats on average live about seven years or so, with some rare cases being over ten years. So, if this were the same cat, we'd have to contain it as some kind of immortal creature." The Magnet user replied.

Sweat dropping, Kakashi cleared his throat before continuing his story. "Yes, well. Anyway, the Daimyo's wife had another cat, almost a carbon copy of Tora, whom she also named Tora. In fact, I heard her last three cats were all named Tora. Anyway, when I was chasing the cat, it did something that stunned me and my team." Naruto rolled his eyes before turning to the man. "And what, pray tell, did the little fur ball do?" The blonde asked, sounding somewhat disinterested.

Kakashi eye-smiled. "Tora pulled off a jutsu." This got the attention of the Genin, as well as the cat in the cage. Kakashi continued, noticing all eyes on him. "Somehow, Tora had learned the Fireball jutsu and pulled it off fairly well. It wasn't very strong, but it shocked us greatly. It didn't need to use signs or anything. All it needed to do was swish its tail back and forth a couple times. It pissed a number of the Uchiha clan off to learn a cat managed to learn one of their basic jutsus without the need of signs, unlike most of their clan members." The Genin were shocked, and Tora seemed to have a contemplative look in its eyes.

(**page break**)

The Genin looked on with hidden glee as Tora was hugged near to the point of crushed by the Daimyo's wife. A part of them felt bad for the cat, but another part remembered the hell that cat kept putting them through. After the Daimyo's wife left and team 7 was paid, Sarutobi started looking through a box containing numerous D-Rank mission requests.

"Ok, let's see. They have a babysitting mission, there's painting a villager's new fence, they have…" Sarutobi was interrupted by the sound of a crash and a cry of "Tora, come back!"

"…Catching Tora again." Sarutobi sighed as he made a copy of the completed mission report and wiped it clean for another use.

Kakashi stepped up, clearing his throat. "Actually, Lord Hokage. I believe team 7 is finally ready for a C-Rank mission." The Jonin said, surprising the Hokage and Iruka, who was sitting with Sarutobi to organize the missions. Iruka immediately objected to Kakashi's request.

"Kakashi, it's too early for them to leave the village for a C-Rank. They've only been out of the Academy for about 3 months." Iruka said, looking at the Hokage for agreement. However, he was denied. Sarutobi bridged his fingers before speaking. "Iruka, these Genin have accomplished a number of missions since they started, and they have been training hard since graduating. I'm sure they'll be able to handle a C-Rank." Iruka sighed before standing down. Sarutobi looked through the box for a moment before pulling out a scroll.

"Here we go. This is a simple escort mission. You are to escort a bridge builder back to his home in the Land of Waves. On the way, there is a possibility of bandit activity, so you will need to keep an eye out. Iruka, bring in the client." Sarutobi said as he tossed Kakashi the scroll. Iruka left the room before coming back a moment later with another man. The man wore cut-off jeans, a large V-neck shirt, and sandals. He also carried a jug with him, as well as three other jugs strapped to his back. The smell of alcohol was strong on the man.

The man took one look at the Genin and scoffed. "These three are the ones that are protecting me? A hooded punk, a pirate wannabe, and a blonde pipsqueak? I'd be safer with that damn cat that ran past me escorting me." The man said; a slight slur evident in his speech.

Kakashi saw the angry looks on his Genins' faces, and decided to intervene. "There's no need to worry. Each of my Genin are quite capable of handling any bandits that appear. And if the trouble calls for it, I'll step in as well. I'm a very capable Jonin, so there shouldn't be any problems."

The man grumbled before taking a long swig from the jug. "Alright, fine. Anyway, my name is Tazuna, and I am a highly skilled bridge builder. You will escort me home so I can return to building the bridge that will help the Land of Waves out of its depression. I'm ready to leave when you are." The man said, the slur slightly more pronounced.

Kakashi nodded before turning to the Genin. "Head home and pack for a month on the road. Unless I state otherwise, that will be the protocol for all missions outside of the village. Meet me at the village gates in one hour. We will depart then." Seeing his Genin nod and run home to pack, the Jonin turned to Tazuna. "We'll depart in one hour. If you don't mind, follow me to the gates."

(**page break**)

Kurohi, Naruto, and Toshi were all finished packing and were getting ready to leave. They each packed enough clothes and food rations to last a month, and had also brought a large tent and three sleeping bags. Naruto, having learned the basics on storage seals during the Academy, had sealed everything into one scroll, which was safely in Toshi's pocket. The trio bid Ami farewell and, after agreeing to bring her back a souvenir from Wave, took off to reach the village gates, ready to start on their first C-Rank mission. As they left, they glanced at the wall where their three bells hung together, showing the unity displayed by the trio.

**Lexboss: Ok, chapter 11 is finished.**

**GoodWriter: Now, things are starting to pick up.**

**Creeper: About damn time.**

**Demon: Well, I can't just skip straight to the main parts without having something.**

**Creeper: So, what's going to happen here?**

**Demon: You'll have to wait to find out.**

**Lexboss: Weak.**

**Demon: I can just stop altogether.**

**GoodWriter: You'll have a small army against you.**

**Demon: I only have about ten or so followers. Creeper can easily take them on himself.**

**Creeper: Dude, I'd be with them.**

**Demon: (sighs) Fine. Anyway, read and review!**

**Lexboss: No flames!**


	12. Chapter 12 Troubling Waters

**Demon: Welcome back to the Orphan Trio.**

**Creeper: It's about time.**

**Lexboss: I've been waiting for this for a while.**

**Demon: I have too, honestly. Well, time to get going.**

**GoodWriter: I wonder how the Demon brothers will fare against these three.**

**Creeper: I hope they wind up a bloody mess.**

**Demon: You always hope for a bloody mess.**

**Creeper: Damn right.**

**Lexboss: Alright! I've been chomping at the bit! Let's go!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto in any way. Nor do I own Ninja Warrior/Sasuke in any way.**

"Talking" – _Thinking_ – **Demon/Summoning Speaking/Jutsu **– _**Demon/Summon Thinking**_

The Orphan Trio, Chapter 12: Troubling Waters

"He's a client. He's a client. He's a client."

Kurohi was quietly chanting his mantra, trying to keep his cool. Team 7 and Tazuna were currently walking through the forest, having left Konoha about three hours ago. Unfortunately, Tazuna spent half of those three hours drinking himself into an unbelievable drunken stupor. However, that wasn't what was irritating the Dark user.

What was pissing him off was the fact that Tazuna was spending the other half of the time complaining about being protected by "a group of stupid kids". No matter how many times Kakashi reassured the drunk, he kept saying he was going to die before they made it to Wave. Toshi ignored the drunken rant and Naruto was surprisingly calm as well, but Kurohi was reaching the end of his ropes.

Kakashi could tell, and he heard the Genin's mantra. On one hand, he wanted to reprimand Kurohi and ask him to stop, but on the other hand, he couldn't give the Genin flak since he was doing the same mantra in his head. Tazuna was easily one of the most irritating clients the Jonin had dealt with in his entire career. '_I'm not surprised he wants protection_,' Kakashi thought as they continued on, '_If he talks like this to everyone around him, I wouldn't be surprised if someone wanted to kill him._'

As the group walked down a path, they noticed they were approaching a puddle in the road. Tazuna paid it no mind, continuing to drink from the jug in his hand. However, Kakashi took notice of the puddle. '_That's odd, it hasn't rained in weeks_.' The Jonin thought before passing the puddle. The white-haired ninja noticed the three Genin were on alert, Toshi slowly closing his book. '_Good, they've learned to spot small details._'

The group walked past the puddle, seemingly not noticing it. Soon after they passed, the puddle rippled, and then two individuals started rising out of the water. The two individuals were clad in dark cloaks and each sported a water breather. The marks on their headbands were of Kiri, but there was a line through the symbol. On one hand of each of the individuals was a large gauntlet with a large spiked chain attached to them.

Suddenly, the two ran towards the white-haired Jonin, quickly wrapping the chain around the Jonin. The three Genin turned in time to see the two cloaked men pull on the chain, tearing the Jonin to shreds before their eyes. The Genin stared in horror as pieces of Kakashi flew through the air before falling to the ground. The cloaked figures snickered. "One down", one of the figures stated. The other nodded before staring at the group. "Now, time to eliminate the target!"

The two speedily rushed the group, hoping to strike hard and fast. However, they did not expect the Genin to recover quickly and go into action. Toshi ran towards one of the men, lightning coating his fists. "**Lightning Style: Lightning Fist**!" Toshi slammed his lightning fist into the gut of his opponent, shocking him immobile for a moment.

Meanwhile, Naruto ran forward, slamming his fist into the gut of the second individual at the same moment, knocking the wind out of the man. As soon as the two mist ninja were stunned, Naruto and Toshi jumped back, allowing Kurohi to throw some hand signs before throwing his palms towards the two ninja. "**Dark Style: Dark Ball Jutsu**!" The Dark user shot two dark balls at the mist ninja, blasting both towards a nearby tree. The two started to stand up before they heard a clang and found they couldn't move their gauntlet-clad hands. Looking up, the duo noticed a kunai stuck into the tree with the chain stuck to it.

"What the hell? How is that kunai holding our chain to the tree?!" One of the ninja asked, shocked. Toshi smirked before cracking his knuckles. He had managed to use his **Magnetism Attract** on the kunai he threw, but he wasn't going to let those two know that. No point in giving his secret away to the enemy. However, it didn't matter as the two quickly separated their gauntlets from the chain, running straight at Tazuna, who was standing on the side, frozen in shock and fear. The three Genin jumped in front of the old drunk, but the two ninja managed to quickly sidestep past the three, raising their gauntlets to eliminate the old man.

Thinking quickly, Toshi used the Substitution jutsu to switch places with Tazuna, surprising both the drunk and the two advancing ninjas. Charging his Lightning Fist in both hands, the Magnet user slammed his fists into the ninjas' faces, shocking them again and knocking them to the ground. This time, Toshi used his Iron Control to restrain the two ninjas, ending their fight.

The three Genin sighed in relief seeing that the two mist ninjas were restrained. "Phew, that was close." Kurohi said, wiping his face of sweat that appeared during the fight. "Yeah, but what are we supposed to do now, without Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked, worried. Toshi and Kurohi both looked unsure, also wondering what to do. Tazuna was barely recovering from the last couple minutes.

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that, Naruto." The four looked towards the tree line where Kakashi walked out, eye-smiling. "You won't have to worry about that any time soon."

"Kakashi-sensei!" The Genin shouted in joy and relief at seeing their sensei unharmed. Looking over, they see that the pieces of "Kakashi" had turned into pieces of log, indicating a Substitution. After realizing the Jonin had pretended to be killed, Tazuna sobered up and shouted to the ninja.

"What the hell! I could have been killed just now! Why did you hide out in the forest like that?!" Kakashi walked over, tying the two ninja up with ninja wire. Then, the Jonin looked over at Tazuna, an accusing glare on his face. "Well, at first, I was going to just jump in as soon as they thought they had me, but they said something about "getting the target". So, I wanted to see who they were referring to.

"If they were after Konoha ninja, then this would be a case of missing-nin attacking a village. However, if they were targeting you, then this would mean there was someone who had them attack you." Kakashi made a clone, which took the tied up ninjas and dragged them into the forest. "The fact that they attacked you means that this is more than a simple C-Rank mission. You said that you needed protection from simple bandits, but these two are more than bandits." The Jonin said, causing Tazuna to sweat.

Naruto was confused and spoke up. "Do you know who those two were, Kakashi-sensei?" The blonde asked, to which the Jonin looked to him. "Yes, Naruto. Those two are known as the Demon Brothers, a couple of B-Ranked missing-nin from Kiri. They left Kiri not long after the rebellion in the Mist started. Rumors claim they left with another powerful ninja, but the identity of that ninja is not confirmed." Seeing the clone return with the two missing-nin, who now looked a bit worse for wear, Kakashi turned to Tazuna.

"Now, Tazuna. You need to tell us what's really going on here. If you don't tell us the truth, then I can't guarantee that we can protect you. Realistically, we were lucky to handle these two without much trouble. They were Chunin in Kiri, while my students are recent Genin. Chances are whoever hired them will hire higher-level ninja once they find that these two were stopped." The Jonin said to the scared bridge builder.

Seeing the serious look on Kakashi's face, Tazuna sighed in defeat before leaning against a tree. "Okay, fine. I guess I have no choice. The truth is, Wave is in serious trouble right now. Wave was a thriving land, but a few years ago a man arrived to the island and turned Wave into a shithole. He took over the island and killed anyone who was in control of most of the exports. The bastard is a man named Gato."

At the mention of Gato, Kakashi's eyes widened. "Gato, as in Gato's shipping? He's the one who took over Wave?" Tazuna nodded sadly as he continued explaining. "Since Wave is struggling so badly, I thought that if we were connected to the mainland, we could wrestle control away from that bastard. So, I started working on that bridge. Unfortunately, with the bridge on its way to completion, Gato caught attention and decided to kill me."

Kakashi was surprised that Gato had taken over Wave. He knew the land had been in some trouble lately, but he didn't realize the shipping magnate had taken over. Still, something was confusing him. "I understand needing protection, but why lie about the severity? This could have easily gotten you killed." Tazuna sighed solemnly before looking at the Jonin.

"As a result of Gato's control of the land, Wave is extremely poor at the moment. We were barely enough to afford the cost of a C-Rank mission; there was no way we could pay for a higher level." Kakashi leaned against a tree as well. "Tazuna, if you had explained all of this to us, we could have set up some kind of payment plan." Tazuna sighed before he drank from the jug, gulping nearly half the contents. "We were desperate. I wasn't sure if Konoha would accept it if we didn't have the money up front and didn't want to take the chance."

Kakashi nodded to his clone, which then dragged the two missing-nin to the original before dispersing. The Jonin pulled two scrolls from his jacket, opening one and placing the two on it. Using a hand seal, Kakashi sealed the two ninjas inside the scroll before rolling it up. The Jonin opened the second scroll before writing something inside. "Well, the mission has been accepted, so we cannot just abandon it now. However, we also cannot protect you without backup." After rolling the second scroll, Kakashi used a few hand signs before summoning a messenger hawk. The hawk took the two scrolls before flying off, heading directly to Konoha.

Unlike the typical summoning contracts, Hawks had two separate contracts. One contract required blood like most summons, and were often used in combat purposes or scouting. However, messenger hawks did not need blood tributes, nor did they have problems with other summoning clans. It was custom for all Chunin rank ninja and above, in Konoha at least, to sign the messenger hawk's scroll for easy access to message transport. Kakashi was glad for this, since he got the Dog contract from his father and didn't want to lose it.

"So," Kakashi continued, "We will continue the journey to Wave. However, until another team from Konoha arrives to help us, you will not be able to work on the bridge. Once we have our backup team, we can watch over you while you work on the bridge." Tazuna was stunned, expecting the team to leave him to die. Tears rolled down his face as he dropped to his knees.

"Thank you, Kakashi. Thank you, on behalf of all of Wave." After Tazuna calmed down, the group headed on, hoping not to run into any more trouble.

(**page break**)

A couple days passed slowly for the group as they continued to travel through the area. Since they were dealing with an area not too far from Kiri, Kurohi had taken a few precautions. His Kiri headband/belt, which belonged to his mother, was no longer around his waist. He had placed it in his bag to prevent anyone from thinking he was involved in Kiri. He also removed his bandanna, since it had his clan's symbol on it. When asked, Kurohi explained that while his clan wasn't as famous in Kiri as, say, the Uchiha was in Konoha, they were somewhat well-known within the Mist, so he didn't want any unwanted attention. As a result, his spiky black hair was exposed to the air for the first time in who knows how long.

Surprisingly, the group hadn't run into any trouble since their run-in with the Demon Brothers. They had gotten word that the four would receive the bounty on the two missing-nin and the capture would go on their records, which excited the three Genin. In addition, they learned that another team was on their way and would arrive to where Tazuna lived in a few days.

Tazuna was a bit more relaxed, talking to Kakashi while the group kept walking. Suddenly, Naruto noticed a rustle in the bushes and threw a kunai into the bush. This got the attention of the group as Naruto went to check the bushes. The blonde sweat-dropped as he pulled out a scared rabbit. As Naruto let the rabbit go and retrieved his kunai, Kakashi was watching the white-haired rabbit run into the forest.

'_White fur? That rabbit's fur should be brown this time of year. This means it was kept in captivity. That must mean…!_' Kakashi's eye widened as he heard a slight whirring sound. "Everyone get down now!" The Jonin pulled Tazuna to the ground as the Genin ducked. A second later, the group heard a loud thunk, followed by an evil chuckle.

"Well, what do you know? My target is being protected by the famous Copycat Kakashi." The group looked up to see a large sword imbedded in a tree, a man standing on the handle. The man wore blue-camo pants and blue sandals. He was shirtless but had a sling on his chest. The man also sported arm braces and leg braces with blue-camo. His headband, showing a line through Kiri's symbol, was tilted to his side. The man's lower face was covered by bandages. The man stared down at the group, still chuckling.

Kakashi's eye narrowed as he looked at the man. "Zabuza Momochi."

**Demon: Chapter 12 is finished!**

**Lexboss: I'm surprised how well they fared.**

**Creeper: I'm bummed the two didn't get obliterated.**

**GoodWriter: I'm starting to think you're gonna get some hate for the fight. They took down two Chunin easily.**

**Demon: Yeah, well think about this. Two of them had fought and survived for years and were trained somewhat by their families before that. Naruto got some serious training too. And, this is three strong Genin vs canon where it was an untrained girl, a loner, and a complete moron.**

**Lexboss: Still, people may not like the results.**

**Demon: Well, it's fan FICTION. If they don't like it, they can get the fuck off my story and write one themselves. I really don't give a shit if they don't like it.**

**Creeper: Wow, a bit violent today, aren't we?**

**Demon: If it's one thing I hate, it's fucking morons who bash a story because it doesn't suit the canon to the letter. Writing like the canon defeats the damn purpose of fan fiction in the first place.**

**GoodWriter: Okay, someone needs to cool off a bit. Read and review everyone!**

**Lexboss: No flames!**

**Demon: I'll shove them up their asses!**

**(GoodWriter drags Demon out of the room)**


	13. Chapter 13 The Demon of the Mist

**Demon: Welcome back to the Orphan Trio.**

**GoodWriter: So, now's the battle with Zabuza.**

**Demon: Yep. Now I can finally get things going.**

**Creeper: What do you mean?**

**Lexboss: Demon doesn't like the Wave Arc that much.**

**Demon: I don't necessarily hate it as much as I feel it's overdone to death. At least some writers make a few changes here or there.**

**Creeper: So, what are you planning differently?**

**Demon: You'll have to wait and see. **

**(Pause)**

**Demon: Okay, I didn't want to do this, but I received a few PMs from a few readers about a review from this story and they asked me (read: shit-talked me) why I never adjusted my story based on this reader's review. For those not knowing what I'm talking about, here's the review and author:**

_**Look what Jesus did: Pretty shoddy work from the mobs that beat a child daily to the ANBU who answer directly to the Hokage being completely disloyal I don't really see that happening. There's also the fact the Sandiame had this amazing seal and an apartment building ready and yet Naruto sleeping in a tree doesn't bother him any. Personally I'd suggest rewriting the introduction to give it a bit more realism.**_

**I'm going to go through these points one at a time to finally answer to this review and shut up the assholes who won't stop bugging me. Yes, this will jump the word count up by about 700-800 words, but fuck it.**

"_**From the mobs that beat a child daily**_**": I've actually discussed this with a number of my friends and most of us have agreed on this. The fact that in canon Naruto wasn't physically beaten as a kid is not making sense. They, as well as us, are humans and have our emotions. Humans also tend to have their emotions control some of their behaviors. In a real-world setting, if a group of people were threatened or severely injured by a person or creature, they would be fearful and angry of that person or creature. If the perpetrator is no longer in a threatening position, such as in this case the fox being in Naruto, the injured people would naturally want some kind of vengeance towards the perpetrator. I even brought this up to a few psychology professors at my school and they agreed with this idea. As sad as it is, human nature is not always pretty and if people can have a chance to get revenge on someone/something that has inflicted serious damage to them, physically or mentally, they would be more likely to do so if there were little to no consequence for doing so. **

"_**The ANBU who answer directly to the Hokage being disloyal**_**": Again, I discussed this with my friends. Just because they are under his command does not mean they have to follow what he says blindly. They are not emotionless, and many of them in this story do not like Naruto due to the fox as well. Keep in mind the ANBU are some of the strongest ninja in a village. Even if Sarutobi decided to kill or remove all ANBU against Naruto, he would be left with too few ninja to protect the village. Therefore, he can't keep them from doing what they choose to do unless he would want to cripple the village's security.**

"_**There's also the fact the Sandiame having the apartment and an amazing seal and yet having Naruto in a tree doesn't bother him**_**": Knowing Naruto's nature, I doubt that he would want to be pitied by anyone, especially by the Hokage. As such, he wouldn't go to him and tell him about having nowhere to go. If he could figure out a home himself without bothering someone he cared about, he would do that before begging for help. As for the Hokage not thinking of the seal himself first, that is the one thing I will admit I hadn't thought out well. However, the Hokage is, in the words of Peanut, "Old as shit". I forgot about the seal ten minutes after thinking I would put that, and I'm in my early twenties. I can imagine someone a few months shy of 70 would either forget about it or not think of it to begin with. **

**As for the whole "rewrite the start", fuck that. If you don't like how a story progresses, or starts in this case, then leave. I would rather have no views on a story than a million views by people who want to talk shit and demand I write the story how THEY want it rather than how I want it. If you have a problem with it, write your own fucking story and get the fuck off of mine. **

**With that rant out of the way, enjoy the next chapter.**

**End pause)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto in any way. Nor do I own Ninja Warrior/Sasuke in any way.**

"Talking" – _Thinking_ – **Demon/Summoning Speaking/Jutsu **– _**Demon/Summon Thinking**_

The Orphan Trio, Chapter 13: The Demon of the Mist

As Kakashi stared down the now-named Zabuza, the Genin and Tazuna prepared for a possible fight. Toshi and Naruto quickly jumped in front of the drunk, ready to defend him if need be. However, Kurohi stood frozen in place, his eyes widening slightly. "Kurohi, get into position!" Naruto called, getting nothing in response. The Dark user just continued to stare at the large man.

'_Zabuza…_' Kurohi thought before shaking his head and jumping near the others. Toshi noticed Kurohi's facial expression and became concerned. '_Does he know this guy? If so, judging from his face, we might be in trouble._' Toshi thought as he pulled a kunai out and held it firmly. Naruto, not noticing his friend's reaction, mimicked Toshi and had a kunai at the ready. Meanwhile, Tazuna tried not to drop his jug in fear, as well as trying not to "drop anchor".

Zabuza glared at Kakashi while also glancing slightly at the Genin. '_That kid seems familiar. I know I've seen him somewhere before, but I don't know where._' The ex-Mist nin thought as he grabbed the handle of his sword. '_Oh well, it hardly matters. I have a job to do._'

"Zabuza Momochi, the 'Demon of the Bloody Mist'. I'm surprised you decided to show yourself after your failed attempt on the Mizukage." Kakashi said evenly, pulling a kunai from his pouch. He knew things were dangerous now that an A-ranked missing-nin is in front of them.

Zabuza returned his focus to the silver-haired ninja before jumping off his blade, removing it from the tree. "And I'm surprised the bridge builder is being guarded by the famous Copycat. Now, we're both busy, so why don't you just hand over the bridge builder and I'll let you take your precious Genin home? I'd rather not have some kids get killed over a small matter."

Kakashi glared as he reached for his headband. "You're not getting your hands on Tazuna." The Jonin said as he pulled his headband up, exposing his closed eye. Zabuza smirked beneath his bandages. "Oh, you're using your Sharingan right off the bat? It seems I'm getting special treatment today." The Mist nin said, getting shocked reactions from the Genin. '_Kakashi-sensei has a Sharingan?_' The trio thought as they watched Kakashi open his eye. The three gasped as they saw the red eye with three tomoe.

'_I thought the Sharingan belonged to the Uchiha! How does he have one?_' Naruto thought. The two others had similar thoughts while Tazuna stood scared, not knowing about the doujutsu. Zabuza smirked as he quickly threw a couple hand signs together. "While I'm honored, I'm afraid I can't savor this. I have my assignment, after all. **Ninja Art: Hidden Mist Jutsu!**"

Suddenly, a huge fog of mist appeared, obscuring the view of the missing-nin from the Genins' eyes. Kakashi glanced around slightly, trying to locate the ninja. "Keep guard, team. Zabuza will try to get to Tazuna." The copycat said, trying to remain calm. The Genin stood strong, until an evil chuckle began to emanate from the mist.

"Lungs, Clavicle, Brain, Jugular, Carotid, Liver, Kidneys, Heart. Eight vital targets. All certain death. Which should I hit first?" Zabuza said, his chuckle still prevalent. Along with this, Zabuza put forth a heavy dose of killing intent. Kakashi managed to hold it together, as did Toshi and Naruto, but the Jonin noticed Tazuna faring poorly. Kurohi looked no better, his hand shaking. "Kurohi, don't worry. I won't let anything happen to you. I promise." Kakashi called to the Genin with an eye-smile, hoping to relax the boy.

However, Kurohi was not shaking from the killing intent, and Kakashi's words didn't help much. The Kiri native was shaking due to his thoughts from earlier. '_Zabuza, why? I respected you back in Kiri. Why would you do this?'_ He thought sadly, his shaking hand not stopping. Kakashi saw Kurohi not reacting to his words, and cursed mentally. '_Something must be wrong. Kurohi shouldn't be this scared. I'll need to talk with him later. But for now…'_

His eyes widening, Kakashi threw the kunai. The kunai whizzed past Tazuna's head and hit a still-hidden Zabuza, who was standing behind the drunk. Suddenly, the Zabuza turned into water, showing it was a Water clone. Kakashi felt a presence behind him and turned to see Zabuza swinging his blade. The large blade sliced clean through the Jonin, much to Zabuza's excitement, until the body turned into water. "He copied my water clone through the mist?" The missing-nin said surprised before feeling a kunai on his neck.

"I'm not called the 'Copycat Ninja' for nothing, Zabuza. You're finished." Before Kakashi could slit the man's throat, Zabuza chuckled and turned into water, revealing himself to be another clone. "Shit!" The Jonin looked around, trying to find the ex-Kiri nin. Seconds later, he felt a kick to his side that sent him into a nearby lake. Kakashi surfaced quickly, searching for the ninja. However, he noticed something strange right away.

'_This water's really dense. What's going on?_' A second later, it hit him. "This water's full of chakra!" Before he could get out of the water, Zabuza appeared. "You're right. **Water Style: Water Prison Jutsu!**" Suddenly, Kakashi found himself inside a sphere made of water, unable to escape. Zabuza had placed an arm in the sphere, keeping it stable. Meanwhile, he created another Water clone, intending to sic it on Tazuna.

"Team, get Tazuna out of here now!" Kakashi yelled desperately, hoping the three would run. Unfortunately, they didn't move. "No way, Kakashi-sensei! You told us yourself that those who abandon their comrades are worse than trash! We're not leaving you behind!" Naruto shouted, knocking Kurohi out of his thoughts. Kakashi mentally sighed in defeat. '_Of all the times for them to follow my code! Dammit!_' He thought as Naruto and Toshi went into a stance.

"Kurohi, stay behind and watch Tazuna. We'll take care of the clone!" Toshi said, hoping his friend would be alright. Kurohi swallowed, but nodded. He didn't want to get involved in this fight if he could help it. Naruto and Toshi quickly ran forward, ready to fight and save their sensei.

Zabuza's clone smirked before forming hand signs. "Take this brats! **Water Style: Pressure Wave!**" A strong jet of water fired from the clone's mouth, aiming at the two charging Genin. Toshi and Naruto jumped out of the way, the former quickly making hand signs himself. "**Earth Style: Earth Spear Jutsu!**" Zabuza had to jump to avoid the spikes that erupted from the ground. Toshi was glad he thought to learn the move Mezuki had used against Naruto.

'_So, this kid's got an Earth element. That'll be a bit harder to handle, but I'll manage._' The clone thought as he ran towards Toshi. Before Zabuza could reach the Genin, the boy was quickly switched with Naruto, who had a shit-eating grin. "Take this! **Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!**" Naruto exhaled a gust of wind that sent the surprised clone backwards, into a tree. The clone was dazed for a moment, surprised that the blonde brat would use the substitution to take his teammate's place.

Before the clone stood up, he had a realization. '_Wait, where did that hooded brat go?_' He had his answer soon enough as he heard his creator's sound of surprise as the original had to jump out of the way of another **Earth Spear**, releasing his hold on the **Water Prison** in the process. Zabuza jumped next to his clone, slightly sweating. He almost took a fatal hit from that attack, and he knew his water attacks wouldn't do much to prevent the spear from killing him.

Looking at his clone and nodding, Zabuza started on a series of hand signs, while his clone dispelled into a puddle of water. However, he noticed Kakashi copying his signs. '_How is he able to…_'

"Copy my hand signs?" Kakashi said, finishing Zabuza's thought. Zabuza growled as he continued. '_Is he somehow…_'

"Reading my mind?" Kakashi finished again, pissing off Zabuza further. "Stop copying me…"

"You damn monkey!" Kakashi finished yet again, pissing the ex-Kiri ninja off further. In his anger, Zabuza missed one hand sign, ruining his attack. However, Kakashi managed to finish it correctly, sealing Zabuza's fate. "**Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!**" A giant dragon made of water crashed into the missing-nin, sending him forcefully into a large tree. As Zabuza looked up, he started to sweat. "How?!" Kakashi walked towards the downed Zabuza, a kunai at the ready.

Before Kakashi could finish him off, two senbon suddenly flew through the air, impacting into Zabuza's neck. The missing-nin's eyes widened suddenly as he dropped to the ground. Kakashi froze, unsure of where the attack came from. However, a figure made itself known as a person jumped onto the ground near Zabuza's body. The individual was about Naruto's height and wore a hunter-green kimono. He also wore a plain white mask with Kiri's symbol on the forehead, signifying a Hunter-nin.

"Thank you for helping me with Zabuza, Kakashi Hatake. I have been stalking him for weeks, waiting for the best chance to strike." The Hunter-nin said, gesturing to the body. Kakashi reached over and felt for a pulse. Not finding one, the copycat ninja sighed in relief as he stood up. "He's dead. I'm glad to help."

The Hunter-nin nodded before grabbing Zabuza's arm, draping his body over his own. "I will send word of your assistance. You will receive a portion of his bounty as compensation for this. I will take my leave now." Instantly, the Hunter-nin and Zabuza's body were gone, leaving the four ninja and bridge builder alone.

Kakashi lowered his headband over his eye again before turning to his team. "Well, that's taken care of for now. Let's get go-!"

Kakashi's words were cut off as he dropped to the ground, unconscious. Naruto and Toshi ran up to the Jonin quickly, worried for his health. Toshi checked the Jonin before sighing in relief. "He's alright. He just suffered chakra exhaustion. He should be alright soon." Turning to Tazuna, Toshi snapped his fingers to get the drunk's attention. "How far is your home from here?" The boy asked quickly. Tazuna shook himself out of his stupor and responded. "My house is about a half-hour from here. Grab him and we can hurry there."

Naruto and Toshi picked up their sensei and began carrying him alongside Tazuna. Kurohi followed right behind them, sighing mentally. '_Zabuza…_'

**Demon: Now, chapter 13 is done.**

**GoodWriter: So, there's something with Kurohi and Zabuza.**

**Demon: Yeah, I figured I'd have some kind of situation since both are from Kiri.**

**Lexboss: Is there going to be some kind of situation like this with Toshi?**

**Demon: Possibly, but I'm trying to think of a good one. I already know who each is going to hate, though.**

**Creeper: I'm starting to feel a bit of a Mary-Sue vibe from these OCs of yours.**

**Demon: Well, as a friend of mine said, Naruto is just a show about a bunch of Mary-Sues trying to out-Mary-Sue each other. Sad thing is, he has a point.**

**Lexboss: Mary-Sue?**

**GoodWriter: It means an OC that is overpowered and basically is pretty much godlike. **

**Demon: However, it's too early to really show tough battles. Besides, the whole idea Kakashi tries to teach is the value of teamwork. If the group works together, they'll do better than they would apart.**

**Lexboss: So, same as before? Flames shoved up the flamers' asses?**

**Demon: With a wooden stake, ungreased. Those things are getting dusty and need a cleaning.**

**Creeper: Ok, now we need to go. Read and Review!**

**Lexboss: No flames!**

**(Demon laughs maniacally while holding a pointed stake)**


	14. Chapter 14 Reinforcements Arrive

**Creeper: Welcome back to the Orphan Trio.**

**Lexboss: Why are you starting the chapter instead of Demon?**

**GoodWriter: For that matter, where is he?**

**Creeper: Well, remember his little "episode" earlier?**

**Lexboss: Yeah, what about it?**

**Creeper: He kind of fell into blood lust. He checked himself into that center he sent me to and brought a couple stakes with him.**

**GoodWriter: I don't know if I should be happy he's removing his bloodlust, or angry he's going to go mediaeval on our-**

**Creeper: As I was saying, he should be back to normal soon. Besides, they're just clones of you, not you yourself.**

**GoodWriter: Yeah, but they're still a part of me in a sense.**

**Lexboss: He does have a point.**

**Creeper: Well, better them than us. I don't want to take a wooden pole up my ass.**

**Lexboss: There's some innuendo in there somewhere…**

**GoodWriter: Can we just get to the chapter?!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto in any way. Nor do I own Ninja Warrior/Sasuke in any way.**

"Talking" – _Thinking_ – **Demon/Summoning Speaking/Jutsu **– _**Demon/Summon Thinking**_

The Orphan Trio, Chapter 14: Reinforcements Arrive

Team 7 and Tazuna managed to arrive at the man's home safely. Unfortunately, Kakashi was still unconscious from his fight. As soon as they reached the house, the front door opened, revealing a young woman in her late twenties. Her eyes lit up and she smiled as she saw Tazuna. "Father, you're back!" She said as she ran up, giving the bridge builder a hug.

Tazuna smiled as he returned the hug. "I am, Tsunami. These Konoha shinobi helped me out. But, we were attacked on the way, and we need a room for the man, quick." Tazuna said seriously as they all entered the house. As the group entered, the Genin noticed a small boy looking at them neutrally. "Inari, these are the Konoha ninja that are going to help your grandfather with the bridge." Tsunami said to the young boy happily. Inari looked at his mother before scowling. "They should just leave. They're just going to die." Before anyone could say anything, Inari walked upstairs, leaving an irritated team 7.

Tsunami sighed before turning to the Genin. "I'm really sorry about that. Inari had a bit of a rough life and he's a bit pessimistic." She said, a sad expression on her face. The Genin nodded in understanding. Tsunami quickly helped the Genin move Kakashi into a vacant room before ushering the boys out. "Don't worry, he'll be able to rest up and sleep."

The three Genin breathed a sigh of relief at the news, happy to know their sensei will recover soon enough. However, Kurohi still had a thoughtful expression on his face, which Toshi noticed. "So, Kurohi. What's with you? I noticed you seemed a bit off when Zabuza showed up. Did you have a run-in with him back in Kiri?" Naruto looked over at his friend, remembering that Kurohi was from the same village as the missing-nin.

Kurohi sighed before shaking his head. "Well, yes and no. I'd rather not say until Kakashi-sensei wakes up. I really don't want to explain it more than once." The Dark user said; his head down. Naruto and Toshi understood and patted the Genin on his shoulder. They each had things they didn't like to talk about. The three Genin sat down and relaxed, finally feeling the toll the trip had on them.

(*********)

The next morning, Kakashi awoke to find himself lying in a bed, surrounded by his Genin. Carefully, he pulled himself upright and stretched. He was still sore, but he at least could move a bit without excruciating pain. "How are you three holding up?" The Jonin asked cautiously. He wasn't sure how the battle had affected them. Luckily, it seemed the fight hadn't traumatized them. Toshi sighed as he pocketed his history book.

"We're holding up, Kakashi-sensei. We arrived at Tazuna's home yesterday with no problems after you passed out. However, there is something that we needed to talk about when you woke up." The Iwa native said seriously, glancing at Kurohi. Kakashi nodded before cupping his chin. "There's something I need to say too, team. I think Zabuza isn't dead."

Kakashi saw the shocked looks of Naruto and Toshi, as well as a contemplative look on Kurohi's face. Naruto managed to speak first. "How? We saw him get dropped! You even felt for his pulse and found nothing." The blonde said, worried. Kakashi stretched again before responding. "Well, I hadn't thought much of it at first, since I was still exhausted, but the fight was replayed in my head while I was out. Kiri's Hunter-nin division doesn't use senbon at all. While they can be fatal, one has to have near perfect control in order to hit the exact points needed. However, with decent control, one can put someone in a near-death state.

"So, I think that Hunter-nin wasn't a Hunter-nin at all." Kakashi finished solemnly, getting the Genin to stiffen slightly. "Guess that whole 'receiving part of the bounty' thing isn't happening," Naruto joked. Surprisingly, Kurohi smacked the blonde over the head. "Don't make a joke about that, Naruto!" The Dark user angrily said, surprising the other members of the team. A few seconds later, Kurohi realized his actions and sighed. "I'm sorry, Naruto. I'm just a bit stressed from this."

Kakashi and Toshi shared a look before glancing towards Kurohi. "Okay, Kurohi. Kakashi-sensei's awake, so why don't you tell us what's going on?" Toshi asked calmly. The Dark user nodded, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Alright. As you guys know, I'm originally from Kiri. My parents were killed when I was six, like you Toshi. However, before that happened, we were somewhat liked in the village. My mother, Kumori, was a Jonin who fought with a few divisions of Kiri's forces. One of them was the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist." Seeing Kakashi's and Toshi's surprised faces, he continued. "She wasn't a member, but she fought well enough that they considered her an honorary member. As such, a few of them would visit our home occasionally. Zabuza was one of the ones who would visit often, the other being Kisame Hoshigake."

Before he could continue, Naruto interrupted him. "What's the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist?" The blonde asked, confused. Kakashi decided to enlighten the Genin. "The Seven Swordsmen of the Mist were a group of seven powerful ninjas in Kiri. They each were masters of Kenjutsu, or sword fighting. Each had their own special sword that identified them somewhat. Zabuza carried the Kubikiribocho, or the Executioner's blade. That's the sword he used yesterday. Kisame carried Samehada, which is a scaled sword with the ability to eat chakra." The Jonin explained, getting Naruto to nod in understanding.

Kurohi nodded before continuing. "Since Zabuza was one of the ones who visited often, he was fairly close to us. In fact, I considered Zabuza and Kisame pseudo-uncles. That's why I was so freaked out when Zabuza showed up. I knew he attacked the Mizukage after the bloodline purges started, but I didn't realize he would wind up a mercenary, and I definitely didn't expect him to try to kill us." Kurohi shook slightly, still unhappy about fighting his "uncle".

Kakashi sighed before placing his hand on Kurohi's shoulder. "It's alright, Kurohi. I understand what you're feeling. With the fight and the damage he took, Zabuza should recover in about two weeks, maybe less. If we face him again, you should wear your bandanna. He might recognize you and decide not to fight. If he doesn't, we'll have no choice but to take him out." Kakashi said, sadly. Kurohi sighed before nodding. "I understand sensei. I just hope it doesn't come to that."

(*********)

After giving Kurohi some time to relax, Team 7 went outside to get some training in. Since the trio knew how to Tree and Water walk, Kakashi decided to give them a crash course in combat. He created a Shadow Clone to fight the trio on the Water, while he rested by leaning against a nearby tree. The scarecrow recovered a decent amount, but he still wasn't able to perform any serious physical activity.

The silver-haired Jonin watched the Genin fight his clone and was truly surprised. '_It's almost like they share the same mind,'_ he thought seeing their teamwork. '_They're almost perfectly in sync._' The trio was pushing the clone to its limits. Provided, the clone had the physical strength of the original at the time of creation, which is only about a fourth of his full strength, but it also lacked the injuries of the creator. Even so, the three proved to Kakashi that they would do very well against most Chunin or lower ninja.

The training came to a halt when Kakashi's clone jumped to dodge a **Dark Ball** when it was slammed by Toshi's **Lightning Fist**, dispelling it. The trio relaxed and walked off the water and Kakashi started clapping. "Excellent work, team. You're showing a lot of promise." The Jonin praised, causing the trio to smile. Their smile disappeared almost immediately when they heard a scoff.

"These are the ninjas we are supposed to back up?"

(*********)

Zabuza groaned as he awoke in a dimly lit room. His neck felt like hell and he was sore all over. Probably having to do with that Water Dragon that slammed into him dead-on and his impromptu meeting with a tree. He noticed a movement and turned his head. He saw the Hunter-nin preparing some bandages for his injuries. "Why are you still wearing that mask, Haku?" The ex-Kiri nin said, his voice a bit hoarse.

Haku chuckled slightly as Zabuza cleared his throat. "Well, I feel a bit more empowered when I wear it," Haku said as he brought some of the bandages to the downed man. Zabuza scoffed as he untied the bandages around his face. "Well, it's really creepy. Take it off when we're not fighting, will ya?"

Haku nodded and prepared to remove the mask when the door suddenly opened, revealing three men. The two tall men each carried a sword and held an air of authority. The third man, about three feet tall, smirked as he saw Zabuza.

"So, the '_Demon of the Mist_' gets taken down by a bunch of kids. How pathetic." The man stated as he walked up to the pair. "Maybe I should punish you for your failure, but it seems like you've already gotten one!" As the man reached for Zabuza's face, he suddenly felt pressure as Haku grabbed and snapped his wrist.

"You won't touch Lord Zabuza with your filthy hands, Gato." Haku said, flinging the midget back to the door. The two men quickly ran up to Haku, their swords drawn. However, they didn't get a chance to swing their blades as a senbon pierced their necks, ending their lives. Haku tossed the bodies at Gato before tending to Zabuza's wounds. Gato grabbed the cloth of the men's shirts and dragged them off. "You better watch it. If my men weren't dispensable, I'd kill you right now for that. Get rid of the bridge builder or else." With that, Gato left the room, dragging the two bodies behind him.

Zabuza glanced over to Haku, who seemed tense. "I take back what I said about the mask. Although, you didn't have to do that." The nin pulled out his arm, revealing a kunai he pulled from his leg pouch while Gato was talking. Haku shook his head, trying to keep calm. "If you killed him, we'd be in some trouble. As Gato himself said, his lackeys are dispensable."

Zabuza lied back down on the bed, letting Haku continue his work. "All I do know is that we should be careful. What else can possibly happen?" The missing-nin uttered.

(*********)

Back at Tazuna's house, Kakashi could cut the tension with a knife. Since their backup arrived, his Genin were extremely tense and fairly irritated. Of course, he could understand fully. Unfortunately, the team that was sent for backup was none other than team 6, comprised of Sakura, Sai, and Sasuke. It was Sasuke that made the remark about having to defend them.

Obviously, Sasuke was still holding a grudge against Team 7. Kakashi had to stop Kurohi or Naruto from attacking the Uchiha a few times after the latter remarked about "doing the world a favor by killing the Iwa scum." Sakura held similar views, mainly due to wanting to show support for Sasuke. She would glare at the trio before mumbling about how they were "wasting _her_ Sasuke's time and energy."

Sai and Genma were the only two able to handle the situation among Team 6, albeit barely. Genma was just on the brink since he had to deal with Sasuke and his top fan-girl at once. Sai also experienced a great deal of anger due to his comrades. While he was still emotionless for the most part, he was beginning to show some emotion, mostly anger. The artist had gone so far as to ask Danzo to be let back into ROOT, since the members were more tolerable. However, the old man refused, stating Sai needed to be with those of his age group.

Creating a clone to watch the Genin, Kakashi gestured for Genma to follow him. The two Jonin walked (or limped, in Kakashi's case) outside where the two sighed in relief. "Finally, I can breathe again!" Genma said, relaxing slightly. Kakashi nodded in agreement before leaning on the house. "So, how's team training going?" Kakashi asked. Seeing Genma's face, Kakashi sweat-dropped. "Not well, I take it?"

Genma sighed again, this time in frustration. "Damn right on that. I started with the standard teamwork exercises, but Sai was the only one willing to cooperate. Sasuke claimed it was beneath him to work with "those inferior to him", while Sakura really doesn't care about doing anything if Sasuke doesn't want to.

"Then, I decided to see what their affinities were. I hadn't planned on doing much, just seeing what they could do. Sai and Sakura both have an Earth affinity, which I know a couple jutsus of that kind. Sasuke had an equal Fire and Lightning nature." Kakashi grimaced at Genma's facial expression, which showed his desire to vomit.

"I should have realized it would happen, but as soon as the Uchiha found he had two affinities while the others had one, he immediately felt he was the superior one among them, even over me since I only have a single affinity." Genma removed his senbon to spit before continuing. "Of course, Sasuke demanded I teach him jutsus for those affinities. I claimed I had no Fire jutsus he didn't already know, and the Lightning ones I knew were defense based, at which point he said I was worthless. Then, Sakura refused to learn an Earth jutsu because, and I quote, '_Sasuke doesn't have an Earth affinity, so obviously Earth is useless_.' I swear I'm about ready to kill those two.

"Sai actually took the Hiding Mole jutsu to heart. At this point, he's the only one I can stand. The other two are killing me. I really wish I could have had your team instead, Kakashi." Genma said, his anger dropping a little from letting it out. Kakashi sighed as he patted his friend on the back. "Don't worry, Genma. I'm sure things will work out soon." The one-eyed Jonin said reassuringly. Genma looked at him skeptically. "That's easy for you to say, Kakashi. You don't have two students who refuse to listen to you. I highly doubt they'll improve."

The two Jonin remained outside for a few more minutes before heading back in, knowing they are walking back into a living Hell.

**Creeper: And Chapter 14 is complete.**

**Lexboss: It really feels odd not having Demon say that.**

**GoodWriter: Well, hopefully he'll recover soon.**

**Creeper: If he's anything like me, he'll be back by next chapter.**

**Lexboss: Let's hope so.**

**GoodWriter: Right. So, anyway, read and review!**

**Lexboss: …**

**Creeper: …**

**GoodWriter: …That does feel really odd.**

**Lexboss: No flames!**


	15. Chapter 15 A Harsh Wake-up Call

**GoodWriter: Welcome back to The Orphan Trio.**

**Lexboss: Demon's not back yet?**

**Creeper: Not yet, but he should be back soon.**

**Lexboss: How are these chapters getting done if he's not here?**

**GoodWriter: I'm not sure if it was smart or not, but apparently he was allowed to take his laptop with him.**

**Creeper: Here's hoping it didn't get shoved up some clone's ass. Then it'd be uncomfortable for it, the chapters wouldn't be done, and the laptop would smell like shit.**

**(Demon walks in, a bloody stake on his back)**

**Demon: Damn, I needed that!**

**Lexboss: Demon, you're back!**

**Demon: Yep, and better than ever. Although, I apologize Lexboss, the techs randomly chose your sample for the clones.**

**Lexboss: Don't even tell me what happened.**

**Demon: I won't. Anyway, let's get on chapter 14.**

**Creeper: It's chapter 15, Demon.**

**Demon: Oh, right. Okay, on to chapter 15!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto in any way. Nor do I own Ninja Warrior/Sasuke in any way.**

"Talking" – _Thinking_ – **Demon/Summoning Speaking/Jutsu **– _**Demon/Summon Thinking**_

The Orphan Trio, Chapter 15: A Harsh Wake-Up Call

The next week passed easily enough, but it was still stressful. While Kakashi recovered, he continued giving his team some team battles to strengthen their abilities. While their skills were impressive, their battles got more difficult each day as Kakashi got stronger. After five days, Kakashi's clone managed to defeat the trio, if barely.

After their team fight, each would practice their own jutsus. Kurohi continued to improve his skill with the Fireball jutsu, so that he could use it more times before running out of chakra. After he managed to achieve the proficiency he hoped for, he began working on using his Darkness Clones in an unexpected way. He smirked to himself as he thought of the possibilities in the future.

Toshi trained his Lightning Fist, doing his best to speed up the charge. While he hadn't told his teammates yet, he was also working on a new jutsu to work with his Labyrinth Wall. He figured it wouldn't work much offensively, but it would help to distract the enemy longer once they were inside. Any extra distraction would buy him time to handle the enemy.

Naruto was training the hardest of the three. Despite refusing to use the Shadow Clone method, the blonde made remarkable progress with his training. Naruto had mastered the Great Breakthrough three days after Team 6 arrived. However, he had a little trouble with the Fireball jutsu, likely from having Fire as a weak element. Undeterred, the blonde put his all into his training. Finally, he managed to successfully launch the Fireball. It wasn't as strong as Kurohi's, but it was strong enough to get the job done. The trio thought that maybe the water in the air had an effect, but Kakashi said it shouldn't have much effect on the jutsu.

All in all, Team 7 was kicking ass in their training, a statement that could not be said for the majority of Team 6. Despite the hopes of Genma and Kakashi, Sasuke and Sakura would not cooperate. Sakura flat-out refused to learn any jutsu that Sasuke wouldn't learn, saying that it has no worth if "her Sasuke" had no interest in it.

Meanwhile, Sasuke constantly demanded that Kakashi teach him some powerful Fire and Lightning jutsus. The Jonin couldn't say he didn't know any since the Uchiha knew he had given Toshi and Kurohi some jutsus. Despite that, Kakashi refused to teach him, saying that he needed to respect his teammates before he would get a chance. Sasuke simply scoffed before storming off, saying that an Elite like himself didn't need to waste his time with "inferior morons".

Unlike his teammates, Sai took to his training with gusto, much like his friends. Genma, tired of not being able to teach well, put his all into training Sai. He felt that if the Hokage wanted to punish him, then that was fine. He wasn't going to waste his time and energy on someone who wouldn't listen to orders or accept his offer. With this, Sai was improving by leaps and bounds. He managed to learn a few defensive Earth jutsus, as well as a few offensive techniques. With Toshi's permission, Sai learned the Earth Spikes technique from the Genin. He also spent his free time working on his Ink jutsus and painting the scenery of the forest around him.

While the training was going well for most, all of the ninja, except for Sakura and Sasuke, knew they were going to be in for the fight of their lives.

(*********)

Teams 6 and 7 were sitting at the table with Tazuna, Tsunami, and Inari. Like the last week, the group ate in relative silence. Sasuke stopped threatening Toshi simply because Genma threatened to tell the Hokage. The Uchiha may have felt superior to everyone around him, even he knew he didn't have a chance against the Hokage…yet. Team 7 thanked the senbon-chewing Jonin for his threat, as now they had relative peace. Tazuna may not have shown it much, but he was elated. Just a few days ago, he discovered an unexpected source of hope for his bridge.

(Flashback)

_Tazuna sighed as he and Team 7 arrived at the bridge to work for the day. Taking a quick head count, he determined another four workers decided to quit. He didn't blame them; after all, with Gato threatening them, he understood the workers wanted to keep themselves safe. At first, he considered them cowards, but he honestly knew he would probably quit too if he weren't the head builder. _

_Even so, he was disappointed that his work crew was dwindling. At this rate, he'll be the only worker on the bridge. Even if he's protected the whole time, it would take him years to finish the bridge. His shoulders slumped slightly as he prepared to work on the bridge._

_Noticing their client's mood, Naruto walked up to the man and patted his shoulder. "Don't worry, Tazuna. You'll get this bridge done soon, Gato or no Gato." Despite the Genin's words of encouragement, the old man grumbled bitterly. "Unless you can find me a hundred workers, I doubt this will be done any time soon." _

_Hearing his comment, Naruto smirked before looking at his team, specifically his sensei. Kakashi, seeing the look in Naruto's eyes, nodded in approval, knowing what the blonde was about to do. Naruto turned back to Tazuna before forming the familiar cross-shaped sign. _

"_Tazuna, I can do better than that! __**Shadow Clone Jutsu**__!" Suddenly, the bridge is engulfed in smoke. Waving the smoke away, Tazuna's jaw dropped as he saw Narutos covering the bridge practically end to end. Turning back, he saw the blonde smile broadly while rubbing the back of his head. "How about 500?"_

(End Flashback)

Thanks to Naruto, he was well on his way to finishing the bridge. During the days Team 7 trained, Naruto provided Tazuna with 250 clones, saving the chakra from the others for training. Each day, Tazuna managed to make great progress. The best part was that Naruto received the knowledge from his clones learning construction during the bridge work. Add that with the knowledge he already had from working on the obstacle course and Tazuna had a small army of well-trained workers. It also helped that he had someone to talk to during the days Team 6 guarded him so he didn't have to listen to the pink-haired girl's bitching about how boring it was.

Tsunami was happy to know her father was getting a lot of help in building the bridge. Not only did it mean the bridge would be finished sooner, but hopefully the people of Wave country would be able to take their lives back.

However, her son did not share her optimism. After Inari's outburst when Team 7 arrived, Tsunami had told the ninjas about how Gato killed Kaiza, who was Inari's stepfather and a hero for the people of Wave. She was aware that her son lost his faith in heroes because of that incident. She knew he kept bottling up his sadness, but she didn't expect for him to smack his hand on the table tonight.

"Why the hell are you ninjas still here?! You guys are going to die if you stay here. Nobody can stand up to Gato without being killed off. Why bother trying?" The boy shouted, angry and sad at the same time. Expecting this kind of reaction eventually, Toshi sighed as he placed his chopsticks down. "Look, Inari. Your grandfather is trying to help the people here. We are here to make sure he succeeds. Just because you don't think it can happen that doesn't mean all is lost." The Genin said calmly, trying to help ease the boy.

Unfortunately, Inari wasn't calmed at all. "Stop acting like a hero when you're nothing more than an idiot! You don't understand how bad we have it! You ninjas all have warm homes and nice lives. You have no idea what it's like to suffer!"

As soon as Inari said this, the temperature dropped drastically and it became deathly quiet. Kakashi's eye widened visibly as he noticed his team's faces dropped, their hair covering their faces. Stealing a glance, he noticed Sasuke was also affected, while Sakura and Sai seemed unaffected by the statement. However, he noticed a small bead of sweat on Sai's forehead, unsurprising since the former ROOT agent knew about the trio's histories.

"We don't know what it's like to suffer, you say?" Kakashi's vision returned to Naruto, who started to stand up. Kakashi and Genma both knew things were about to get bad. Before the white-haired Jonin could say anything, Naruto continued.

"Have you ever had to scrounge in the garbage to find something to eat? Were you kicked out of an orphanage at the age of five to fend for yourself? Were you beaten, spat on, threatened, and glared at on a daily basis?" By this point, Naruto had stood up fully, his hair still covering his face.

"I have, Inari. I have gone through all of that, all because of something that was out of my control. Don't give me any shit about how bad you had it. You had a loving mother and grandfather who gave you a home and family. You have a town that respects you as a person, even with everything going on. You have a lot of what I never had, and may never have. No matter how bad you think you have it, someone will always have it worse than you." Before anyone can speak, Naruto stormed out of the room, intent on releasing some steam.

Everyone was silent for a moment before Kurohi stood up. Without saying a word, he stormed upstairs. Toshi stood up a moment later before turning to Inari. "You may not realize it, but you just said the worst possible thing to a group of people who had suffered greatly in life. Most of us have suffered, but the difference between us and you is that we worked to improve our lives. We have the courage to push through the hardships we faced. You, however, just cower away and curse anyone who has the courage to stand up for what they believe in." The hooded Genin said before following his teammate upstairs.

Genma and Kakashi sighed, knowing the blonde probably wouldn't return until tomorrow. Sasuke scoffed at Team 7's actions. He was pissed at Inari's statement too, but he wasn't going to waste his time on an inferior brat. Sakura, while still hating the trio, felt a bit bad from what she heard. Sai dropped his head in sadness and shame. While in ROOT, he heard murmurs from his fellow agents. While ROOT agents were supposed to have no emotions, he could still sense the disdain many of the agents had towards the blonde. This was why he wanted to befriend Naruto after being put in the Academy. Even he knew Naruto would appreciate having more friends.

Tsunami was shocked by what Naruto had told Inari. Tazuna looked no better, but both seemed okay compared to Inari, who was paler than Sai was. The shaken woman turned to Kakashi and, in a strained voice, asked, "Was what Naruto said true?" Team 6, Tazuna, and Inari looked towards the one-eyed Jonin, showing faces of fear, sadness, or indifference.

Kakashi sighed before his head dropped low. "As much as I wish I could say no, I'm afraid what he said is all true. In fact, he left out a lot of details." With the implication, Tsunami and Tazuna turned away, feeling sick. "How could a village treat a child so poorly?" Tazuna asked, disgusted. Kakashi sighed at the question. He hated having to tell the fake story, but he knew Sarutobi would kill him for telling the whole truth, especially in front of the young Genin.

"Did you guys ever hear of the Kyuubi? The Nine-Tailed Fox?" The Jonin asked sadly. Tsunami and Tazuna were surprised to be asked about the Fox, but nodded. Inari kept quiet, not really knowing about the beast. Seeing their nods, Kakashi continued. "Well, about 12 years ago, the Kyuubi attacked Konoha. The Fox destroyed a good portion of the village and killed a lot of our ninjas and civilians. The Kyuubi was eventually killed by our Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, although at the cost of his own life."

Tazuna frowned hearing this. "What does this have to do with Naruto?" The old man asked. Kakashi sighed before looking down. "Well, Naruto happened to be the only baby born on October 10th, the day the Fox attacked. Once the villagers learned Naruto was born on that day, most of them felt Naruto to be the Kyuubi reborn into human form. Because of that, the civilians decided to try to kill him, not caring that he was only an infant.

"The newly reinstated Third Hokage did what he could to protect Naruto from the ignorant civilians and the ninjas, but he wasn't able to stop the attacks. The Hokage even hired a group of his Elite guards to protect Naruto, but many of them hated Naruto for what they felt he represented. As a result, they refused to help Naruto when he was getting beaten by the civilians. Out of desperation, the Hokage passed a law that made it a capital offense to talk about Naruto as if he was the Kyuubi, but that didn't work right. He can't execute everyone who broke the law because that would wipe out about 90% of the village. At best, he can send a message with one or two people, but it's often ignored by the villagers."

Kakashi didn't need to look at their faces to know that Tsunami and Tazuna were appalled at what they heard. Team 6 looked just as bad. Even Sasuke and Sakura couldn't help but feel bad for the blonde. However, Inari looked the worst. He didn't know what he would do if he were in Naruto's shoes, even for a day. Looking toward the door the blonde left, the young boy gave a small, almost unnoticeable nod.

(*********)

Naruto was standing in a clearing, surrounded by clones. As soon as he left the house, the blonde took off to an empty clearing and summoned 500 clones. Now, he was facing off against 300 clones, and he wasn't slowing down any.

"Didn't know suffering?" Naruto growled as he launched a Great Breakthrough at a group of clones, wiping ten of them out. "That brat doesn't have any idea what true suffering is like." A cluster of clones jumped at Naruto, only to be dispelled by a large Fireball. Naruto wiped the sweat from his brow before facing off the small army. "That brat wouldn't last one day in my life." Seeing the army of clones coming at him, he threw his hand signs together before launching another Fireball jutsu at the army. Just before the Fireball reached the army, Naruto fired a Great Breakthrough at the Fireball, expanding the jutsu to a giant wave of fire, incinerating the clones.

Just as the jutsu dies off, Naruto drops onto his back, exhausted both from chakra exhaustion and the influx of over 200 clones' memories at once. The blonde looks at the moonlit sky before falling into unconsciousness.

(*********)

Naruto sat up, feeling a headache like no other. Grumbling, he looked around to see something odd. He found he wasn't in the middle of the forest, but in what appeared to be a sewer. Naruto got to his feet before feeling the brick walls. To his confusion, the walls were cracked in many places, but some areas looked like they were repaired recently.

"Where am I?" The blonde asked himself. He hadn't expected to hear a response.

"**So, my jailor finally shows himself**." A deep voice booms, surprising the blonde into turning around. "Who's there?" Naruto asked, looking around. Instead of a response, Naruto saw a faint red glow down a path. Nervous, the blonde followed the red glow for what seemed like forever. Finally, he found himself in a large room, bathed in a red glow. Looking around, he noticed the walls also were cracked, but showing small signs of repair. He also saw something glitter in the corner of his vision. Turning, he found himself in awe. He was standing in front of the bars of a giant cage, reaching up into the darkness. Looking closer, he noticed the bars were held together with a small paper with the Kanji for "Seal" on it. Naruto was astonished as he realized what this was.

"**So, human. How does it feel to be standing before the greatest creature in existence?**" A loud voice bellowed from behind the cage. Naruto looked into the cage before stepping forward. "You're the Kyuubi!"

Suddenly, the red glow brightened enough for Naruto to see inside the cage. Sure enough, a large figure was visible inside the cage. The fox had dark, orange-red fur and nine large, bushy tails. Large, red eyes stared down on Naruto, as if peering into his soul. The fox swished its tails back and forth a bit before responding.

"**That's right, human. I am the great Nine-Tailed Fox.**" The fox stated before lowering its head towards the ground. Naruto stared at the fox for a moment before shrugging his shoulders. "Well, I figured I'd see you sooner or later." Naruto's nonchalant tone seemed to annoy the Fox a little. Kyuubi focused its large eyes on the Genin. "**Aren't you going to yell at life being unfair? About how your life would be better without me being sealed in you?**" Surprisingly, Naruto shook his head at the Fox's questions.

"Why should I? Complaining about it isn't going to change anything. Besides, if it weren't for you being sealed in me, I wouldn't have met my friends. I might have lived badly, but at least some good came of it." Naruto shrugged his shoulders. Kyuubi did not expect this kind of answer. After a moment, it did something Naruto hadn't expected. Kyuubi chuckled.

"**That's pretty insightful for a human, especially one as young as you.**" Kyuubi remarked, looking at the blonde. Naruto simply shrugged as he sat down in front of the cage. "Honestly, I'm surprised you're not going on about killing me or getting free to destroy the world." Kyuubi's tails flattened as it let out a huge sigh. "**Well, I've been here for 12 years. I examined the seal, and I can tell that if you die, this seal takes me out with you unless the seal is removed properly. Even if I were to have you rip the seal off, it would still kill us both. Evidentially, your Hokage had thought I'd try that as well.**" The Fox replied.

Naruto nodded in understanding before looking around. "So, where exactly are we?" The blonde asked. Kyuubi looked around the area a bit before laying its head down. "**Kit, we are inside your mindscape. Essentially, this is a representation of your mental state. The cracks in the walls show that your mental state was heavily damaged; no doubt due to your treatment by those idiotic villagers.**" Kyuubi responds. "**And before you ask, the repairs are a result of the friendships and good experiences you recently had. Slowly, your mind is repairing itself.**"

Naruto nodded in understanding. However, he was surprised. He always heard the Kyuubi, and by extension he, was a violent and murderous beast. Yet, the Kyuubi was calm and not thrashing about. This is nothing like the beast that attacked Konoha. Actually…

"Why did you attack Konoha, anyway?" Naruto couldn't help but ask. Kyuubi expected this question, but didn't think it would be asked so calmly. Debating whether to be honest or not, the Fox decided the former. "**Well, you may not believe this. Hell, I doubt anyone in your village would believe this, but I wasn't exactly given a choice.**" Seeing Naruto's skeptical look, Kyuubi grew annoyed. "**Don't give me that look, Kit. I was ripped out of my previous container on the night you were born. As soon as I was freed, I was put into a Genjutsu by some man with a spiral mask.**" Naruto was shocked. "How? How could anyone put you in a Genjutsu? I was told the Tailed Beasts couldn't be controlled?" The boy asked, confused.

Kyuubi growled at the question. "**Well, you were partially told the truth. Normally, we can't be controlled. Hence why we are usually sealed into people. However, there is one thing that can completely control a Tailed Beast. That, human, is the Sharingan.**" Naruto's eyes widened at this. However, the Fox wasn't done. "**Don't worry. You don't have to worry about that irritating Uchiha trying to control you or me. It takes an incredibly strong Sharingan to affect me. Only one person was able to control me before the man with the mask. His name was Madara Uchiha. Compared to him, your little 'friend' is little more than a pissant.**"

Naruto was slightly relieved. He was worried Sasuke would try to control him when Sasuke got his Sharingan and if he ever learned about the Fox. After a moment, the blonde remembered something Kyuubi just said. "You said you were ripped from your previous container. Who was it, and did they live?" Naruto asked the giant fox.

Kyuubi paused for a moment, surprised about Naruto's interest in his history. "**Well, my previous container survived the extraction, but barely. However, she didn't live much longer after that because she was extremely weakened by it. As for who it was, I am not sure. The seal, while not life-binding like yours, was heavily restrictive. I never made contact with my previous jailer while sealed. I only saw my old container just after my release, but only for an instant before being taken over. I don't know her name, but it was a woman with long, red hair.**"

Naruto was disappointed to hear the previous jinchuuriki was dead. He had hoped to talk with her to see what her life was like. '_Oh well_', he thought. Naruto stood up before looking at the Fox. "Well, I have no hatred for you if you were really controlled. And I appreciate you informing me about what you have. You didn't have to do that." The blonde said, once again shocking the Kyuubi. After a few seconds, the Fox chuckled again.

"**I'm mightily impressed by you, Kit. In fact, how about I give you a little training myself?**" Kyuubi smirked slightly at Naruto's surprised look. "**Think about it. If you die, then I die too. I'd kill myself in the afterlife if I died because I could've improved my host and didn't.**" Naruto nodded, understanding what the Kyuubi was getting at.

"Alright, Fox. What are you going to teach me?" Naruto asked, somewhat excited. Kyuubi was amused by the blonde's excitement. "**Well, for starters, I will teach you one of my Fire jutsus. Once you master it, I'll teach you another jutsu. I'll also work to help you train to harness and control my chakra. You haven't accessed it yet, but once you do, it'll be difficult to control, even with my approval. That will be the toughest part.**"

Naruto nodded, committing this to memory. After a moment, however, he had a thought about Sasuke. "What about Sasuke? He doesn't have it yet, but he's bound to get the Sharingan sooner or later. If he sees me use one of your jutsus, he'll probably try to steal it."

Kyuubi laughed heartily at Naruto's question. "**Once again, I'm impressed, Kit. You think ahead, that's a good quality. Don't worry about that Uchiha. The jutsus I show you are my own creation. That little pissant won't be able to copy them because they require either my chakra, or at least my presence, to use. He can try to copy it, but he won't be able to use it.**" Naruto let out a sigh of relief. He knew Sasuke would try to copy all the jutsus he can when he can.

Before he could respond, he started fading away. "Hey, what's going on?" He asked, confused. Kyuubi stretched a little before lying back down. "**You're waking up, Kit. Don't worry, I'll start sending some of the jutsu's information to your memory. It'll help you learn it.**" Naruto nodded as he faded away. "Thanks, Kyuubi. I'll see you soon." Just as he disappeared, he heard the Fox's voice one more time. "**Kurama, Kit. My name is Kurama.**"

(*********)

Haku wandered through the forest, looking for some plants. With his medical skills, Zabuza was well on his way to recovery. He needed only a few more plants to make another medical salve. With it, Zabuza would be fully recovered in less than a week. Entering a clearing, Haku is thrown by what he sees. The clearing is almost completely destroyed, huge craters and ruts in the ground. Haku sighs, knowing he wouldn't find any herbs here. Just as he turns to leave, he catches sight of a boy sleeping on the ground at the end of the clearing.

Walking closer to the boy, Haku gasps as he recognizes the boy as the blonde that fought Zabuza the week prior. Debating whether to kill the boy or not, Haku sighs before shaking the boy awake. After a moment, Naruto stirs and sits up. Opening his eyes, he takes notice of a beautiful girl standing next to him.

"Hi, there." Naruto says, keeping his blush down. Haku smiles at the boy before sitting next to him. "Hello. Who are you?" The boy asked the blonde. "Naruto Uzumaki," the blonde shrugged. Haku nodded before responding. "I am Haku." Looking around the clearing, Haku turned to Naruto. "What were you doing here in this clearing?"

Naruto glanced over at the clearing, realizing the damage he did in his anger. "I was training last night and passed out." He said, sweat-dropping. Haku sweat-dropped as well. "If you did that, you seem pretty strong already. Why the need to train?" Naruto stood up before stretching. "Well, I need to make myself stronger to protect my friends. I won't allow harm to come to them." Naruto said, determination in his eyes. Haku nodded as he got up too. "I see, so you have precious people to protect. That makes you truly strong." Naruto nodded as Haku started walking off.

"I hope you get stronger to protect those precious to you." He said as he reached the end of the clearing. However, Naruto had something to say.

"Tell Zabuza that Kumori's son says hello." Naruto knew he was taking a gamble, but it was worth a try. Team 7 decided that if they could tell Zabuza about Kumori, then he might recognize the name.

Haku froze, not realizing that his cover was blown. '_How did he know I was with Zabuza?_' He knew he was caught. Regaining his composure, Haku looked back and smiled. "I'll let him know. Oh, by the way, I'm a boy." Haku walked off, smiling slightly at seeing Naruto's shocked face at the last minute. After Haku left, Naruto regained himself. "Wow, I didn't know that was a boy. He was cuter than most girls I've seen." The blonde said to himself before heading back to Tazuna's house. He figured he probably was going to catch some flak for storming off, but he didn't care.

**Demon: Now, chapter 15 is done.**

**Creeper: This is taking a while.**

**Demon: I know. I'm hoping to finish the Wave arc within the next chapter or two.**

**Lexboss: What's after that?**

**GoodWriter: If I remember correctly, it's the Chunin Exams.**

**Demon: Bingo. But, I'm not going to keep it the standard Exams. I'm thinking of ways to twist it to be creative.**

**Lexboss: I hope it'll be interesting.**

**Demon: It should. Read and Review!**

**Lexboss: No flames! Man, that really feels right!**

**Demon: What?**

**Creeper: Don't worry about it.**

**Demon: …Ok. Well, peace!**


End file.
